Spellbound
by localsportsteam
Summary: A relentless suitor forces Ariel to spend more and more time outside her home, where she discovers wondrous new things, and a wonderful young prince. Determined to find a way to marry her love and get her legs, she's unaware of the trials that await her if she manages to do so. Two connected stories, Spell and Bound. Can be read as one long fic or two shorter ones.
1. Spell: Meeting

Ariel froze. Her eyes darted to the door, the open windows – anything that was a means of escape. The currents seemed to freeze and she found that her throat had gone dry. She wanted to run, feign illness, make some sort of excuse; some sort of escape, but she knew it was already too late. Andrina had already said the worst eight words in the English language.

"There's a young gentleman here to see you!"

Now, normally, this would not be a terrible sentence. Maybe even a nice one, under the correct circumstances. But Ariel knew who this gentleman was, as he had been calling on her incessantly since her fifteenth birthday, when she was finally old enough to court. Marcus was there at her birthday party; seeking her out and begging for dances. He asked her so many questions it seemed to be more of an interview than a conversation, and every time she'd pull away, he would lightly grab her wrist, murmuring about 'just another ten minutes' and 'I just so do love speaking to you'.

"Oh, 'Rina!" Ariel moaned. "Can't you just say I'm sick? Gone? Anything?"

"Sorry, kiddo." Andrina shrugged. "Attina already said you were here."

"Can't you just lie?" Ariel pushed.

Andrina rolled her eyes. "Most people would be delighted to have one of the richest men in the seas pursuing them – especially for this long!"

"Well, count me out."

"Don't be a brat, Ariel. He just wants to see you."

"I know he does – that's always what he wants." She sighed. "I don't know why you guys are all so insistent on us being together. I don't like him – I never have!"

"Well what's wrong with him?" Andrina folded her arms. "Too perfect of a match? Too devoted? Too handsome? Too powerful? Too enamored? Too rich?"

"Oh, don't instigate." Ariel snipped. "I just don't like him! Not like that. Maybe if he'd calm down a bit, then we could be friends. But ever since we met it's been a relentless pursuit – I feel like a guppy with a shark after it!"

"Just be nice." Andrina said, swimming to her sister. "Look, I know this guy is perfect for you! There isn't anyone else under the seas who could be better suited. I know that for a fact."

Ariel's shoulders slumped. "I don't know…"

"Just let him take you on a swim. It can be as long or short as you want. If he's really as unbearable as you've built up in your head, you can mosey back to the castle at the first lull in your conversation. If not, well, then I think we have a courtship on our hands."

Ariel pursed her lips. "Fine. I'm not happy about it, but fine."

"Ah, young love!" Andrina exclaimed sarcastically. "Come on, let's get you fixed up. Adella! Come here!"

…

Ariel emerged from the room 15 minutes later, and met Marcus in a room down the hall. Her hair had been drawn back, and Adella and given her the works in terms of makeup, and even lent Ariel her seaweed shawl.

"Princess Ariel!" Marcus breathed, standing up immediately. "I am so eager for our little excursion."

"Yes, I'm sure." Ariel smiled, receiving a flick on the shoulder from Adella in response. _Be nice!_

"Shall we be going?" he asked, opening his arms. Upon Ariel's nod, he turned to Attina and Alana, who had been accompanying him in the parlor "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"Bye, Marcus!" Alana waved, sighing dreamily.

Ariel harrumphed. If he was such a catch, why didn't one of them go after him? She supposed he was handsome, in a way. Dark curly hair, green eyes, broad shoulders. But that didn't change how she felt.

"I would love to do this with you every day." Marcus smiled at her. "For the rest of our lives."

…

"Ugh!" Ariel exclaimed to herself. _What sort of self-involved brat…_

There's no way this was the only man for her. Their walk would've been something to tell Flounder about, if only it was worth describing. Twenty minutes of him describing what their life would be like if they were married! He tranced off into fantasies, speaking of swims through gardens and fine balls. How they'd dine every meal together. It was eccentric, it was unnecessary, and it made her uncomfortable, but he didn't notice, or at least, didn't care.

She couldn't escape quickly enough, and returned home to tear off the shawl and let down her hair. Wash this date clean off. She thought bitterly about how things would only get worse from here. He was encourage, she had accepted him, and breaking it off so quickly after would only make him feel led on. If she had said no, if she had kept saying no!-

Three quick raps on the bathroom door.

"Ariel! Ariel!" she heard her sisters call. "Come out, we want to hear everything!"

"You were back so soon!" Attina said, concerned.

"Trying to keep him intrigued?" Artista raised an eyebrow.

Ariel sighed, knowing she'd have to get this over with eventually.

"It was…exactly what I thought it would be." She shrugged, coming out of the bathroom. "He talked about himself a lot, and about what life would be like were we to marry."

"MARRY!" her sisters collectively gasped.

"You're kidding!"

"He's smitten! Absolutely smitten!"

"Oh, Ariel, you're so lucky!"

"Quite a catch, really, he is!"

"Can I be your maid of honor? I think that I should be your maid of honor."

Ariel snorted. "I'm not going to marry him."

"What?"

"Why not?"

"Ariel, how many times do we have to go through this?"

"I know what you girls think, and I've taken it into consideration," Ariel figured lying a bit wasn't too bad here. "but I'm just not into him. Not like he's into me. It's too…intense. Too little chemistry, too much pressure. He's not someone I can picture myself with."

"You're being silly." Attina scolded.

"I know you think so, I know you all do." Ariel said. "But trust me when I say that he's just not right for me!"

"Ariel, don't brush him off so quickly." Alana advised. "How can you know whether or not he's good for you, if you won't even give him a chance?"

"I just know, okay?" Ariel insisted.

"Think about it!"

"He's so wonderful, and he loves you more than any other boy in the sea!"

"You know what, I will." Ariel figured a big lie was okay too. "I'm going to go out on a swim and think about it. Really, really think about it."

The sisters perked up like this, and Ariel swam out a side door into the bright blue open sea. She needed this. She didn't need to meditate on her feelings for Marcus – those had made themselves clear well enough. But she needed to figure out a way to get her family to understand this. Besides, she was already enamored with something else.

The surface. A final push of her fin, and Ariel broke the sea. The sun was just starting to set, casting off oranges and pinks as vibrant as any coral. The water lapped at her collarbone gently, and she pushed closer to land. She hadn't quite worked up the courage to touch dry sand yet, but maybe today would be the day. Flipping from floating on her back to swimming speedily beneath the water, Ariel pressed forward, dreaming of what life as a human would be.

There would be all sorts of new places to explore, and things to see. Different foods to try, and new experiences every day. She had only learned of things like waltzing and jumping from painting and illustrations she had found, but she imagined that they would be wonderful to try. She had to be human! She just had to find a way to become one! It mattered more than anything else in the world, and Ariel knew she would never be completely satisfied until she built a world up there that was fully her own.

Ariel had been taking these journeys for a while now, and had been taking more and more ever since Marcus stepped up his pursuits. The surface had always been relaxing to her, but now it was the only place she felt safe. No one else would even dream of coming here, so she knew she wouldn't be found. For however long she could get away, she would stay away, knowing that this would be a time of pure bliss.

Each adventure brought something new, no matter how small. She'd bring found treasures to Scuttle, who would explain and identify them. The second time she same to the surface, she saw her first sunset. She felt rain on her skin, and figured it was how the oceans got refilled. There were ships that weren't even sunk, there were birds that looked so different that Scuttle. It was a whole other world, and she wanted everything to do with it.

She had been floating and kicking on her back, and felt her shoulders run aground in dense sand. Flipping to her stomach, she finally reached out her arms and rolled them in the cold sand that looked and felt just like brown sugar. She sighed happily. This was living.

"A-hem."

She rolled to her hip in defense, blues eyes widening as she whipped around and saw a talk, black haired boy. His hands were behind his back, and he looked almost a little worried at her being there, though she couldn't imagine why. His light blue eyes met hers. Her mind raced. This was a human – a real one, in the flesh! With two feet covered by boots, and two legs holding him up. All the years of teaching told her to jump back into the ocean and swim as fast as her fins could take her, but her instincts told her to stay. She coiled her muscles, just in case her father was right, and she had to get away.

The boy slowly removed his hands from behind his back and held them up, in a sign that he meant no harm.

"Don't go."

"I shouldn't be here." Was all Ariel managed to get out.

"Please, don't leave." The boy pleaded. "Can I get closer to you?"

"What are you going to do?" Ariel asked.

"Nothing. I just want to sit closer to you. I promise I won't do anything that hurts you."

"That's…that's fine." Ariel nodded, sitting up.

The boy did exactly as promised, stepping forward slowly and plopping down next to her. "Are you real?" he asked.

Ariel giggled at this. "As real as you are."

The boy burst into a smile. "I can't believe it. Old sailors always told me that they had seen mermaids, but I always figured they were lying."

Ariel furrowed her brow. Most mermaids probably stuck to the deeper seas, and she hadn't heard of anyone else who went to the surface. Hadn't seen anyone else swimming up either. These must be old stories. "No, we've been around for a while!" she smiled. "We just very seldom are seen by humans.

"Then I must just be extremely lucky." The boy said. "I'm Eric, what's your name."

"Ariel!" she said, her excitement at the situation building. Now that she knew for sure that she was right about humans, and that they wouldn't hurt her, she finally had someone to ask all her questions to.

"That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you." She smiled. "Please, tell me about the human world! I've spent my whole life wanting to know what it's like."

"Really?"

"Really! Everything just seems so magical up here. The weather changes by whims, there's sometimes even flashes of fire in the sky! Fire at all! I've never touched it before. There's dancing and so many wonderful things." Ariel sighed resting her cheek on the brown sugar sand and drinking in the smell, the texture, the sensation.

"You could always come back." Eric said, after a moments pause.

"Really?"

"Yes, I could bring you as many of these things as you want to see!" Eric insisted. "I can build a small fire, bring music boxes. I'll come out during a storm. I'll tell you absolutely anything you want to know."

Ariel beamed. "Yes, I'll be back!"

"Next week? About the same time?"

"Yes!" Ariel exclaimed happily. "I should head back now, but I'll do it! Eric, I can't wait to see you again!"

 **Review, please! I love and appreciate each and every one!**


	2. Spell: Marcus

Ariel, to say the least, had been out of it for a bit. A week, why did she agree to a week? She should've asked to come back the next day! She couldn't wait to see to see Eric again, partially because he had promised to show her all sorts of exciting things, and partially because she wanted to see _him_. She barely knew the boy, but she already knew so much about him; he was gentle and kindhearted, he was sincere and sweet, and he was all around _wonderful_.

She could've flipped head over fins for him; done somersaults all around the palace, but she tried so hard to keep it to herself. She knew as soon as her sisters saw her acting all gushy, they'd assume it was because of Marcus, and that would only fuel their drive to get them together.

Blech.

Maybe something would happen between her and Eric – after all, he was at least fond enough of her to ask her back – and if it did, then she could think about how to properly shake off Marcus. Ideas ran though her head, all of them too absurd to use. Feigning an illness. Moving to a new kingdom. Pretending she caught itchy algae.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she continued swimming through the depths, hunting through shipwrecks from more human treasures. It was the only thing keeping her sane right now; keeping her hands busy, and her mind as occupied as it could be. She could still think about the human world and the human objects she picked from these wrecks, but sometimes she forgot about a certain human, if only for a moment.

Oh, the time would not pass quickly enough!

…

"Ariel! Hey, Ariel!"

Ariel froze again, her shoulders buckling forward. She recognized that eager voice anywhere. It It was distinctive; slightly nasally, just a little too loud. All of his sentences were said just a _little_ too fast. It wasn't weird enough to cause him to be scorned, and it was likely no one else had ever even noticed, but Ariel had spent so much time disliking his voice, that she had picked up on the nuances that caused her irritation.

"Marcus, hello." She sighed.

"Look at this, look at this!" he said excitedly, holding out an open book.

Sighing, she swam closer to him. He had gone almost the whole week without seeing her – likely a new record – she supposed she was obligated to indulge him. Ariel peered over his shoulder, looking down at the pages. There was an illustration of a red-haired woman, in an ornate seaweed dress. She was in a ballroom full of merpeople, and bathed in a blue-tinged light.

"It's very nice, Marcus." Ariel said simply. "Did you do it?"

Marcus snorted at this. "Oh, don't I wish! I don't have this sort of talent for art. No, it's my favorite illustration from my favorite book – I've loved it since I was a child!"

"It's very beautiful."

"I agree." He nodded rapidly. "And…it'd mean a lot if you'd read it tonight. That's why I came over, to give it to you! Well, lend. It is my favorite."

Ariel smiled softly back at him. "I'll give it back to you soon."

"I can swing back – maybe tomorrow – and maybe we should talk about it?"

"Oh, I don't know if I'll have a chance to read it by then."

"No problem!" Marcus said without missing a beat. "We can just talk about something else then."

"Maybe a different day." Ariel hinted at. "I think I'm going to be kind of busy tomorrow, for the next few days actually."

"Don't worry, I know all about that!" Marcus said confidently.

"Okay…" Ariel furrowed her brow. She really wasn't sure what that meant, other than that it was obvious this overeager boy couldn't take a hint.

"You'll be free soon, but until then I can maybe come, uh, hang around? Not too much, you need time to miss me too!" He laughed at this.

"Right!" Ariel gave a little wave, and tucked the book under her arm. "I've got to get going though, bye!"

"Goodbye, Princess!" Marcus said dreamily, waving at her as she swam off.

…

He had to get her to understand. Oh, everything would be so much easier once she understood! Marcus swam back to his home practically flipping in circles, he was so ecstatic. He had spent months trying to convey how similar his intentions were to those of the Wandering Prince. Not in so many words, of course, but by speaking of his feelings and hopes to Ariel's family, he slowly but surely won them over.

Triton understood. Her sisters understood. He wanted nothing but good things for Ariel, nothing but to bring her to a golden kingdom and love her 'til the day she passed. And that was why he watched. He watched out for Ariel, and made sure that there was never anyone with ill intent coming after her, and never anyone who thought ill of her. She didn't deserve that, she deserved a proper prince.

And Marcus was so sure that was him.

…

Ariel didn't show anyone the gift – she knew her sisters would make a big deal out of it. They'd read too much into it, talk about how romantic it was, and generally make it an awful experience. Ariel was sure Marcus was a nice man (after all, everyone else continuously reminded her of this), but she just didn't understand why everyone was so up in arms about bringing them together!

She was mulling over why this had happened while everyone else was asleep. It just didn't seem to make sense! He appeared out of nowhere – his family had sent him to live with an Atlantica Count and Countess, and had done so just over a year ago. He had never explained why this happened, but Ariel was confident he'd bring it up eventually. They were never formally introduced, at least as far as she could remember; he just seemed to show up at her debut party. She didn't even learn about the Count and Countess until Attina told her one day, and she never asked Attina how she found out.

Ariel blew her falling bangs out of her face. She really didn't know much about Marcus, did she? Sure, she was never eager to learn, but it just seemed to make her situation stranger. He was so _sure_ they were meant to be together, but they had hardly hand much of a real conversation! They had talked, and they danced a lot at her debut party, and, sure, he was over at the palace as much as one could be without being rude, but she still didn't know where everyone else got this absolute assurance that they belonged together – especially where Marcus got it!

Scolding herself internally, Ariel knew that getting herself all worked up was no way to spend the evening. Tomorrow, she would finally get to see Eric! Thinking logistically, she worked out that if she stayed up as late as she possibly could, then she'd sleep in far later, and then she'd wake up that much closer to the time where she and Eric would finally meet again! She figured she'd kill time however she could. Picking up Marcus' storybook, she snuck out of the room and down to a parlor, where she could read without disturbing any of her sisters. She lit a light, and settled into a chair.

The cover of the book was ornate, and even just flipping through Ariel could see that the story revolved around two characters, each astonishingly beautiful in their own way. One, a young mermaid with a rounded pale face and bright red hair, the other, a stocky merman with curly brown hair and bright green eyes. Ariel bit her lip and tried not to read too much into this. She began to read;

 _Golden Prince and the Red-Haired Princess_

 _Far off, in a land governed goodly and fairly, there was a princess, and she had vibrant red hair that itself was brighter and hotter than anything else beneath the sea. She was one princess of many, but as she was the only one with such bright hair, she was the only one who stood out. She and her many sisters would frolic amongst the castle gardens, where, to each other, they would profess their dreams and desires, in hopes that by vocalizing them, they may one day come true._

 _The red-haired princess was quieter than her sisters, and spoke of her dreams less often, but when she did speak, she spoke sincerely._

 _"Sisters," she would sigh, settling down into the coral gardens and resting her soft, pink cheek upon her palm. "How I dream! How I dream of a man to carry me off, up to a golden castle. We can play and live, I have so much love to give. How I dream! How I dream of this man."_

 _And her sisters would chide her, for dreaming so vaguely. She did not dream of other princes or noblemen she had met and the ball, there was no man's name specifically attached to her fantasy. And while her sisters dreamed and yearned also for love and adventure, they had more detailed plans._

 _"How I dream," the red-haired princess would repeat. "How I dream of a man so wonderful, that he is indeed perfect for me. Loving and handsome, strong and divine, devoted and brave, and so completely mine."_

 _Her sisters would listen intently as she spoke, getting quite caught up in how their youngest sister would speak of this dream man, so sure that he was real, and that he was out there for her. But as her story would wrap, and as they would return to their daily lives, the spell of her enchanting words would break, and they would become cynical once more._

 _Eventually, it came to be that the sisters did not believe such a dream man could even exist! They figured she had created a man so wonderful, perfect, and bright, that he would have to exist only within the red-haired princess' mind. They scoffed and added ludicrous details._

 _"What, will he rescue you from some well-laid trap?"_

 _"Will he swoop out of no-where, and charm us all?"_

 _"Will he be handsome, the handsomest man of all?"_

 _"And rich, beyond your wildest dreams?"_

 _And the red-haired princess would sigh and shrug, knowing that somewhere, somehow, this man had to be. So she remained pious and good, and spend her days working delicately, and dreaming of this unknown man. She knew that she would meet him soon, and everything would be wonderful._

 _Far, far across the ocean, there was another royal family, who were rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Their palace was gold, their clothes were jeweled, and their very lives sparkled with diamonds. And in their home, there were three princes. The eldest had refined himself to be a great king, and all knew he would do well to rule, when the time would come. The middle, he knew the ways of military tactics, and worked as a great commander. And the youngest, he longed for love._

 _The youngest prince, a handsome, light-eyed man, had looked high and low in his kingdom to discover a woman to love. But alas, though there were many beauties and fair-tempered girls, none were The One. Growing increasingly frustrated, the prince began to refine and develop his potion-making skills, in order make an elixir that would allow him to see his princess; to get a clue. After weeks of lessons and efforts, he finally developed a bubbling pink concoction, and drank it down before bedtime. Late, on this temperate and starry night, the Prince had one night of blissful dreaming, and he dreamt of his dream princess. With fair skin and bright eyes, she enchanted him without having to even appear before him! He was sure he would never forget hair as red as his dream-princess'. She danced for him in a hazy room, but with one shove of his elder brother, and an abrupt 'get up, it's breakfast!' she was gone._

 _And he was consumed. Willing to waste no time, he told his family he was setting off for the furthest reaches of the ocean, for he knew such a prize would be the furthest out of reach. He rode and swam for days, weeks, until he finally reached a glimmering golden kingdom, with a magnificent castle set in the center._

 _Upon his arrival, he noticed there was a ball being thrown, in honor of the youngest princess. Wanting to present himself well, and hoping his dream-princess would be in attendance, he changed into his finest golden suit jacket, which was so intricate, and so shining, another could not possibly be replicated. As soon as he felt confident and put-together, he entered. The girl being honored was immediately evident, as she was bathing herself in the light on the dancefloor, and swirling about, capturing attention from all with her shimmering red hair._

 _The prince was in awe, and it took all the breath left in his body to ask her to dance. As soon as they made eye contact, the red-haired princess gasped and put her elegant hand to her cheek._

 _"My!" the princess exclaimed. "Golden Prince, how enchanting it is to finally see you out of my dream world."_

 _His heart swelled a thousand sizes to hear that she had been dreaming of him too._

 _"And you, my red-haired princess," he said, clasping her hand and kissing it softly. "Would've bowled me over entirely, if you were not my reason to be upright."_

 _The princess blushed, and the prince pulled her onto the dancefloor, where the two spent the evening dancing and dancing, moving so closely and so together that the crowds would later recount them as a swirl of gold and red, gold and red._

Ariel slammed the book shut, even though she was only halfway through, which created the only noise in the castle, and after sitting quite still and silently in her reading-chair, she swam off to bed.

 **Review please! Feedback is wonderful**


	3. Spell: Ariel Returns

Andrina never much understood her youngest sister. Statistically, it seemed logical that there'd be one whom she got along with less, or be on a different wavelength from, but she and Ariel just didn't…fit. It's not that they disliked each other, or even clashed.

They agreed on some stuff, like what flavor of seaweed chips were the tastiest, and which clay mask worked the best. They both loved Christmas, and how pearls felt when you rolled them between your fingers. She and Ariel did have things in common. She loved Ariel, and knew Ariel loved her as well. Their relationship was not rough or overly strained, but they were…distant.

Andrina never much understood her youngest sister, but she _especially_ didn't understand Ariel's most adamant decision – that Marcus was not a good guy. She had always been like this. If she thought of an idea, it was the greatest idea in the world, and she'd stick with it no matter what anyone else said or thought. If someone else brought it up to her, she would spin it around for weeks, pick it apart, and find every fault. Sometimes she'd accept it, often she wouldn't.

And that's just what was happening here. Andrina had brought it up one night, several weeks ago, when Ariel was late to dinner. She had spoken about how Ariel had this mannerism, and how she never gave things a chance unless it immediately made sense to her. Sometimes, she'd even be harsher on things just because they were more popular.

Her other sisters were initially skeptical of this theory, but it didn't take long for them to agree;

 _"_ _Like her obsession with the surface – she talks about it so much you'd think she wants to go!"_

 _"_ _Right! How much of that is due to the fact that everyone hates it?"_

 _"_ _I don't like that she talks about that." Triton grumbled, stabbing his fork into his salad._

 _"_ _She doesn't_ _ **mean**_ _it, Daddy." Attina soothed._

 _"_ _She better not." He muttered._

 _"_ _She just wants to be independent, more than anything." Andrina tsked. "And she doesn't quite understand that you can be independent without be oppisate of everyone else._

 _"_ _Do you really think that's the problem?" Artista asked softly. "I mean, we don't know this Marcus guy super well either."_

 _"_ _I talked to him at the ball." Attina chimed in. "He's one of the princes over in the Mediterranea Kingdom. Youngest brother of three. He never really specifically said why he had to come over here, he said a lot of jokey stuff like 'it's my destiny' and 'the fates brought me here'. He's funny, I don't think Ariel took the time to know that."_

 _"_ _He's cute too!" Adella added._

 _"_ _A good dancer, clearly interested, very polite." Aquata trailed off._

 _"_ _Obviously we're not looking to force her down the aisle." Attina turned to Triton, who seemed to be growing more worried. "We know she's the youngest. But Marcus is a once in a lifetime hook!"_

 _"_ _We won't let her make this mistake." Artista said. "She doesn't have to marry him, but she's gotta give him an honest chance."_

 _"_ _They'd be so cute together."_

 _"_ _No boys." Triton grumbled._

 _"_ _Oh, daddy! But Marcus is the perfect gentleman!"_

 _"_ _I don't like the idea of her dating." Triton grumbled louder."_

 _"_ _Daddy!-"_

They had argued with him a bit after that, and Triton did warm up to Marcus when he saw how he treated Ariel. He still didn't like the boy as much as the sisters, but he was very kind and patient, and Triton wanted all his daughters to find nice partners. So he, like the rest of the sisters, grew fond of Marcus.

…

Ariel's plan did work quite well, and she woke up well past lunch. She smiled, she figured there was a chance one of her sisters would wake her up early, or do something loud that would wake her up inadvertently. Stretching, she put a hand back and accidently put it up against something pointed and hard.

"Ow!" Ariel yelped, grabbing her hand back.

The offending object was the storybook she didn't quite finish the night before. She balked a bit at this; the story was intimidating. She hand an idea as to why Marcus was so adamant that she read it, but she didn't know if it was serious enough to confront him on.

Maybe I should just finish it, and go from there. Ariel thought. It's not a total loss, besides. A good story, even if it is a bit overbearing.

Tucking the book under her arm, Ariel figured that if no one had needed her so far this morning, they could go another hour or so without her. But, just in case, Ariel moved to an out of the way reading spot, settling into a different chair than the one before, and cracking open the storybook once more.

 _The pair were in love. They had been, from their first thoughts of each other, and their love was sincere, true, and meaningful. But now that they were together, it was all the more wonderful. At the end of the ball, the Golden Prince knew he could not let her go, even for a minute! They had danced the night, the morning, and the afternoon away. So, he proposed to her, with the sun finally setting behind them. She accepted gleefully, weeping with joy itself, and the two were euphoric._

 _But, alas, there was trouble to be had. An evil sorcerer, with dark hair and stormy eyes, had been watching over this ball. He had sensed power in the Red-Haired Princess, power in her beauty and her childlike joy, and he wished to harness it and manipulate it for himself. He knew that were she to marry the Golden Prince, she would be carried off back to his kingdom and protected, and the sorcerer would lose her forever._

 _So, he acted quickly. Late that night, when the red-haired princess was sleeping and dreaming of her golden prince, the sorcerer snuck into her room. To ensure that she would come quietly, he poured a potion over her sleeping form, one that would render her speechless. As soon as the potion took effect, he stole her away and brought her up to his fortress._

 _The Golden Prince, though he was asleep in a different room, sensed immediately that something was wrong. Knowing that his life's task was to protect and love the red-haired princess, he snuck out of his room to check and ensure that she was okay. But, alas, her bed was empty, the window curtains were fluttering – she was taken!_

 _He struck off immediately, knowing there was only once force so evil as to prey upon a princess so pure. He brought with him only his wits, his potions, and a sword, but knew that it would be enough to defeat this menace._

 _Meanwhile, the Golden Princess had been locked in a chamber with the sorcerer. He prodded her, snapped at her, and tried to get her to show distress, but she would not._

 _"_ _Cruel sorcerer," she said calmly. "I know, how I know, that my golden prince will return. He loves me, he'll save me, and then you will learn."_

 _"_ _He's not coming!" Cried the sorcerer. "It doesn't matter besides. For I've devised schemes and machines, and they'll bring out in you the most terrible things. This one will drain you of your love for others; your friends, your family, and even your lover."_

 _"_ _It can't be done." The red-haired princess insisted. "I love them too much, and I know the Golden Prince will return so quickly to save me. If I stay calm and at peace, the universe will guide him to me. I know it, I know it, I dream."_

 _And, lo, she was right! For then, the Golden Prince burst into the chambers, ready to do whatever need be to protect his princess. The sorcerer snarled and lunged for the princess, but the Golden Prince was quicker, and he tossed a potion upon her, which safely brought her to a deep sleep. She slid off the chair she was on to the floor, where she would neither have to see nor hear any fighting. This move also startled the Sorcerer, and thus gave the Golden Prince just enough time to pull a sword on him._

 _The sorcerer began to panic – the prince was too clever! He surveyed the room quickly, and made a quick break for the door, just escaping the tip of the young princes' sword. The sorcerer ran, and the prince pursued. The sorcerer realized that he needed to make a quick getaway now, and try his schemes again later, so he leapt into his carriage, shouting 'giddyup!' at his horses._

 _But, alas, the Golden Prince was far cleverer, and had visited the sorcerer's vehicle before breaking into the castle at all. As soon as the cart began to move, the wheels fell from the cart and the sorcerer was thrown from it._

 _Laying sprawled on the ground, the sorcerer glared at the Golden Prince, fumbling for potions of any sort on his person, but he was woefully unprepared. "Golden Prince!" he snarled, glancing between him and the sword he was holding. "I have only the magic within me, but it is enough to defeat a piddling sword!" Swirling his hands, he cast a spell that flung the sword from the prince's hands, too far for him to possibly retrieve it. "And now…" the sorcerer said menacingly, rising to his feet once more. "I will remove you, boy! Once and for all!"_

 _"_ _Not so quickly!" the prepared Golden Prince warned, pulling a final potion vial from his intricate jacked. "I will do anything, for the princess." With that, he flung the Death Draught potion upon the sorcerer._

 _With a piercing scream, the sorcerer fell to the ground and violently died, removing his threat from the princess at long last. With danger removed, the prince was finally free to go and retrieve the red-haired princess, whom he woke from the spell with a kiss._

 _"_ _My beloved princess," he said dreamily. "I have brought with me a final potion."_

 _The kiss had broken both the sleeping spell, and the one the sorcerer had placed on her earlier._

 _"_ _Tell me what it is, and I'll take it." She swore. "I trust you completely."_

 _"_ _It is a love elixir."_

 _The princess was confused. "But I already love you, and you already love me."_

 _"_ _This is very true," the Golden Prince smiled happily. "but if we take this elixir, our love will be more permeating and wonderful than any human love can be. We will feel it deeply always, and I want that with you."_

 _"_ _Yes, yes!" she smiled, taking the vial and tossing half of it down._

 _He smiled at her and took the other half, and upon their safe return, every person who saw them confessed they had never seen a pair so, so in love._

 _The End_

Ariel sighed, a bit shakily, as she finally put the book away. It wasn't a bad story, by any means, and if she had picked it up entirely on her own, she probably would've just enjoyed it. But it was made odd by a thousand times simply because Marcus had given it to her; almost pushed it on her, actually. What could he possibly be trying to communicate by this? She already knew that he had a crush on her, so what else was this supposed to tell her?

Ariel brought the book back to her room and tucked it in a drawer, trying to brush it aside. She didn't want to think about Marcus right now, not when she was going to be able to finally see Eric again tonight! She felt a pang of excitement in her stomach, and tried to calm herself down. They weren't going to meet until unset – and that was five hours from now!

…

But, while she waited anxiously, time did pass. Soon, the sun was nearing setting, and she was ready to go to the surface. She plopped herself in front of the mirror and fluffed up her hair. She stole a bit of Adella's blush and mascara, and finally deemed herself ready to go ashore.

 _I hope I'm not early._

 _What if he forgot?_

 _What if he was kidding the whole time?_

Ariel felt her stomach coil. She could've spent the whole week pining for a boy who was kidding about being interested in seeing her again! She felt a flash of rejection, but then took a deep breath and steadied herself. Relax. She wasn't even there yet, now was not the time to get worked up about 1000 scenarios, especially when none were yet true.

And she needn't have worried, besides. For when she broke the surface, she saw Eric sitting on the beach, arms resting on top of his knees. He was scanning around, and waved when he spotted her.

"Ariel, hello!" he said, breathlessly as if he had been nervous too.

"Eric," she sighed, smiling.

"I've got all sorts of things! I'm not sure what you'd be interested in, so I brought everything I could get away with." He picked up a basket and moved it closer to Ariel.

"Can I just pick up whatever I want?" Ariel asked, holding a hand just over the basket.

"Of course!"

Ariel squealed and grabbed the first thing she could. "What's this?"

"It's a ballet slipped. We've had dancers perform at different functions, and one of them must've left it behind."

"What do you do with it?" she turned it around, amazed. It was smooth and a little squishier than it initially appeared to be.

"They wear it on their feet so they can balance better. They also come in a bunch of different colors to match their outfits."

Ariel sighed at held out the shoe at her own fins, as if trying to will them into splitting into feet. What she would give to wear these shoes; to dance in them!

Eric picked up on her mood, and rifled through for something else. "Here. I'm not really sure…what you eat. But I figured you may like this."

Ariel pursed her lips and took it from Eric's hand. It smelled very tart and it nipped at her nose. The texture was not quite smooth, but not exactly rough either. She couldn't think of anything she had ever felt like this before! The orange color was bright as any piece of coral she had ever seen.

"And I'm supposed to eat this? What is it?" Ariel said, rolling it between her hands.

"An orange! Eric smiled. It's a fruit; grows on trees."

Fruit? Trees? "Orange is a fitting name." Ariel smiled, leaning forward and taking a bite.

Eric burst into laughter. "You have to take off the peel!"

"Huh?" Ariel said, spitting out the fruit. The texture was awful!

"I should've said that earlier, I forgot, honest. Here." He took the orange from her and stuck his thumb under the peel and pulled it off. "Try this." He held out a smile-shaped chuck on it.

Ariel was a bit wary, but bit in anyway. "It's delicious!" she exclaimed.

Eric smiled back at her.

"We don't have anything like this under the sea." Ariel said bittersweetly. It was wonderful that she was finally getting to experience these things, and she loved Eric for bringing them to her. But, it just showed her more of what she was missing out on, and she felt the weight of the life she was not living pressing down on her even more.

"You can see it, whenever you want, up here. I have other foods, and all sorts of other stuff. In this basket – the palace."

"You live in a palace?" Ariel asked, looking for it.

Eric laughed. "Most princes do." He smiled for a second after this, but did not divulge why. "You won't be able to see it from here." Eric stretched to point over a bluff. "It's barely obscured, but enough. If I lifted you up you'd see just the tops of the towers."

"Oh," Ariel put her chin on her fists. "I'd love to see it. I really would."

"I'll take you." Eric said without thinking.

Ariel gestured to her tail. "Impossible."

"I can carry you in!" Eric said breezily. "Show you around."

"Until one of your maids or guards sees you carrying around a girl with a tail, and a girl they don't know. What do you think will happen then?"

"True." Eric conceded. "But, can I see you again? You're not even gone and I already miss you."

Ariel giggled. "I understand. I feel the same way."

She could only leave him, leave this world so many times. Her patience was wearing thin. She had to become human, and would do whatever it would take to get there.

 **Review, please!**


	4. Spell: Daddy, I Don't Love Him!

**Sorry this chapter took forever, I was travelling a lot these past few weeks! Hopefully it's worth the wait!**

Ariel made her way down to the breakfast table the next morning, wishing she could yell and profess all the joy she was feeling, but it was more important that she kept steady and quiet. Her family didn't even know she went to the surface, much less went to the surface to see a boy! A human boy! Ariel couldn't even imagine how mad her father would be. So, this secret was precious to her. She couldn't tell anyone, even in confidence.

"Morning everyone!" she said.

"Mornin' Ariel" Aquata said cheerfully.

"Actually joining us this morning?" Attina jabbed, giving her a crooked smile.

"I was sooooo tired yesterday." Ariel said, slumping forward for emphasis.

She wanted to shout it out – especially given the development last night! Eric had asked to see her again, and he had even mentioned how much he had missed her during the week. She confirmed that she felt the same way. Even though he didn't tell her that he loved her, or anything as monumental as that, it was still so heartening to hear, and she felt loved around him, even if neither of them were at the point where they felt the need to vocalize such things.

As soon as she had dove beneath the sea, she was ready to see him again. He was so wonderful; the most wonderful human there was, she was sure. She had barely been at breakfast for five minutes, and already she was drifting away to her dream world; the one where Eric was with her always.

"Marcus will be joining us for lunch today." Triton announced.

"What?" Ariel snapped her head up at this, looking at her father in confusion. She felt her heart compact, and anxiety spread over her.

"Ariel…" Triton tested, picking up on her negative tone.

"Oh, Daddy, please!" Ariel pressed. "He's a lovely boy, I know, but-"

"And he's a _perfect fit_ for you, Ariel."

"How?" Ariel snapped, exasperated, putting her hands on her hips. "Please, explain!"

Triton looked at her, confused as to why she was so suddenly angry.

"I like him, Ariel!" Triton said, as if she should be able to infer to rest of his reasoning from that. Ariel still looked confused, so he continued, softening his gaze. "I want a good partner for you – for all of you!" he gestured around the table to all of his daughters. "Someone who will love you, and never hurt you. Someone well-intentioned and gentlemanly. I know what boys are like, and at that age especially. If I had sons, I would've raised them to be like Marcus."

"We know you Ariel, we've know you just as long as you've known you." Attina continued. "And, well, we know what you need in a husband! Someone patient, kind, and endeared to you. We didn't all grow so fond of Marcus for no reason – yes we like him just because he's a good person, but we like him even more because of how good he is for you!"

"Yes, he has his faults – we'd be more concerned if he was too perfect. He can be a little goofy, and sometimes intense. But regardless, these things compliment you, and we think you'd regret it for the rest of your life if you didn't at least give him a chance."

"We didn't all immediately like him either, it wasn't like he walked into the room and we all universally agreed he was the greatest merman who ever swam the sea! But once we all spent time talking to him and getting to know who he truly was, we liked him! All of us!" Aquata added.

"We're not gonna gag you and marry you off in the dead of night." Andrina rolled her eyes. "And you keep acting like we're the villains of this story."

"Why can't you just accept that I don't like him?" Ariel demanded. "I've said it outright, I don't act like I want to be around him. There's no reason for you all to keep bringing him up!"

"Because you always do this!" Adella said, a little annoyed, a little exasperated. "If we all agree on something, you find the one little fault. If we all like something, you want to find something all your own. You have six sisters but spend all your time with other friends – you spent so much time with Flounder when you were little, you used to always called Andrina 'Flounder' – and as if they look anything alike! You're determined to be independent, and of this family especially."

"She's just saying, that we think you don't quite get the difference between being independent and being removed. We've all taken the time to get to know Marcus – even Daddy! – and none of us have seen anything really wrong with him, or anything that would make him a less than excellent husband for you. Maybe we're wrong; maybe there's something we all have failed to pick up on. But until you either give us a good enough reason as to why he isn't worth getting to know, or actually properly get to know him and _then_ deciding whether or not you can return his affections, we're going to keep trying to keep you from making the mistake that is rejecting him."

The room was silent.

"I just…don't like him." Ariel said simply. "I think that is a good enough reason. He hasn't done anything to hurt me, I know he's perfectly nice, but I don't like him. That's my reason."

"Because you don't know him." Alana insisted, smacking her hands on the table in quick succession. "That's what we're trying to say!"

"We had to strongarm you into just going on a swim with him – and you had no complaints afterwards! 'Oh, he talked a little much' – because I doubt you were talking a lot. 'Oh, the swim lasted too long' – because you didn't want to go at all. 'Oh, he kept talking about _us'_ – boo hoo! So he's into you?" Andrina ranted. "It's getting frustrating for all of us, watching you make this mistake."

"Girls, settle down a bit." Triton scolded. "You're getting a bit aggressive."

"We don't mean to be." Artista said gently. "We've been trying for _ever_ to try and get you to see Marcus in a different light. We're frustrated with you just like you're frustrated with us. I mean, come on. Daddy even likes him, and Daddy hasn't liked any of our crushes or boyfriends, ever. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I'm glad Daddy likes Marcus, and I'm sure they can make perfectly good use of this amicability at all sorts of royal functions. Daddy can be kind to him, you girls can be friends with him – _you_ can even date him if you want to!" Ariel huffed.

"But Ariel he **_loves_** you! And that sort of thing has a shelf life! At some point, he's going to get so discouraged from you playing hard to get like this, and he'll just go away! And then you'll never have the chance to get to know him, or even see if he is truly the man for you!"

Ariel wanted to scream.

Aquata looked over at her. "Just give him a chance, that's all we're saying. This whole conversation, you haven't listed a single thing wrong with him, or a single point against him. If he was truly so awful, you would've listed 100 reasons by now as to why you couldn't possibly speak to him ever again."

"I did give you a point – I said I don't like him! Why isn't that enough?"

"It just isn't, Ariel!"

"Listen, he's handsome and well-to-do – a prince from a different kingdom who's also clearly fine with living in Atlantica. If you chose to stay close to home for the rest of your life, you could. If you wanted to go somewhere new and see new things, you could go back to his kingdom. He's clearly smitten with you, and shows incredible patience with his pursuit of you. He's never pushy, and always seems sincere."

"He's smart and very kind – to you, to all of us, to everyone we've ever seen! I've never seen him behave badly at a party or event, and no one I've spoken to about him has ever said a negative word."

"He's cute!"

"He would make an excellent husband."

"I can't do this anymore!" Ariel snapped, loudly. She pushed up from the table and swam off.

"She's just being so dramatic." Andrina huffed.

The rest of the family hummed their agreement. Why couldn't she just give Marcus a chance?

…

Ariel swam off in a tizzy, absolutely furious. She was tired of being pushed towards Marcus – by her sisters, her father, not to mention by Marcus himself! And she wouldn't take it anymore. She exactly what – and who – she wanted, and now was as good of a time as any to go get it! This wasn't the time to sit back and think, because she wasn't willing to talk herself out of this. She needed to strike now, or else risk pushing her dreams off forever.

She knew where he father's potion room was; it was the largest legal collection of potions in the underseas world. It contained all sorts of potions and elixirs that were made by Triton, one of his trusted potion-makers, or collected from the homes of people making them for more nefarious purposes. Some were used as medicine or aid, some were kept for cataloging and study, and Ariel was sure at least one of them could someone turn her human.

Of course it was forbidden for her or her sisters to go in, but Ariel had spent enough of her childhood exploring the castle to know where the room was – and where the key was. It didn't take long for her to pluck the key from the same hidden compartment she had found it in when she was 12 (why would Triton ever move it if he was so sure no one else knew where it was), and the room had of course not moved a bit.

Once she had unlocked it, Ariel began to rummage through all the bottles, scanning labels and flipping through notes that had been left around. There, sadly, was no 'turn a mermaid into a human perfectly and forever' potion, but Ariel figured she could cobble together enough potions to create the total effect.

One potion split a tail into two. Another removed scales. Another gave a merperson the ability to breathe air without having to go back to the sea. Another made merpeople less sensitive to the sun. Another made a tail stronger. Ariel figured with all of these mixed together, she'd have two strong legs and the ability to breathe and dance and live and _be human_.

Now, did she mix them all together? Or was it fine – or even preferred? – to take them really quickly one right after another. Ariel placed them down on a separate table and went searching for a basin to mix them in. Finding none, Ariel figured that was just a sign to drink them in succession.

She took a deep breath and uncorked the first bottle.

"Ariel!" a voice boomed.

She spun around. "Daddy!"

"What on earth are you doing in here? I told you never to come in here, I strictly forbade it! You know that!"

"Daddy!-"

"And what is this?" Triton snatched the bottle from her hand. "Ariel, this potion removes your scales!"

"I know." She said, folding her arms and scowling at him.

"You _know_?" Triton boomed. "Ariel, this has to be the least levelheaded thing you've ever done! You shouldn't be in here at all, much less drinking these potions yourself!"

Ariel shrunk back at the yelling, but refused to yell back. She was still so livid with him.

Triton glanced down to the bottles that were on the nearby table. "Splitting your tail? Breathing air? Ariel, what are you doing?"

Ariel didn't respond.

"You know nothing of potions! If you mixed these together, there'd be terrible effects! You can't just mix potions willy-nilly! You'd be killed if you drank all of these! You'd dissolve into foam!"

Ariel's heart stopped at this. "R-really?"

"Ariel, yes! I wouldn't joke about this sort of thing!" with a roar, Triton smashed the bottle to the ground. Ariel watched the red liquid emit a puff of smoke and then pool on the tile. "Don't you know anything of side effects? How potions work? They're dangerous – especially in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they're doing! If I hadn't found you, or had started looking for you even five minutes later-" Triton choked and stopped speaking.

Ariel stumbled backwards. She could've just died. A handful of potions – each so seemingly harmless in and of itself, each looking like they were just another step closer to her dream, would've killed her before she fully realized what was happening.

"What possessed you to do this?" Triton threw out his hand to the potions. "What could you have possibly hoped to accomplish?"

Ariel bit her lip, still shaken by what happened, rather, what almost happened. She still hadn't processed it, and the futile brink of death still seemed to loom just as close as it unknowingly had a second ago.

"Tell me!" Triton said firmly, loudly, but at least he wasn't yelling anymore.

"I want to be a human!" Ariel cried out, resisting the urge to clamp her hand over her own mouth.

"You…what?" Triton said, appalled. "Ariel…you've mentioned the human world, you made jokes as a child, but don't you know better than to-?"

"It's not like that!" Ariel said. "I swear I know what I'm doing-"

"I think this," Triton gestured to the pulled potions again. "is proof enough that that isn't true!"

"Because I wasn't thinking right now!"

"You certainly weren't!"

"But I've spent years thinking about the human world! I know it's where I supposed to be, and I've always known!"

"How do you possibly know that?" Tritons sneered.

Ariel paused for a second, debating whether or not to say the next sentence. But she figured she had already revealed so much, and may as well continue. "Because I've been there!"

"What?" Triton barked, his face turning red.

"Not often, but just to see!" Ariel pleaded. "It's beautiful, Daddy! I know you don't like it, but if you'd just give me a chance, if you'd just listen-"

" _You_ listen, Ariel!" Triton retorted. "You ignore my rules, your family's opinions, and I lived in fear of the day it would end up like this!"

"I do listen to you, you just aren't always right!" Ariel yelled back. "Just because I don't agree with your opinions doesn't mean I don't hear them – about the human world, about Marcus, about anything!"

"We can't keep doing this, Ariel." Triton said, rubbing his temple. "I can't keep trying to drag you down different paths just to have you defy me, and at a great cost to you. I want to be furious with you – I'm certainly not happy – but I'm just exhausted. We've had this fight before, it feels like we've had every fight."

"I want to be in the human world." Ariel said firmly. "I'll do anything to get there." She sighed. "I didn't want to hurt myself, and I don't want to hurt you, or my sisters. But this is something I have to experience for myself."

There was silence for a minute, until Triton spoke. "I will make you a deal."

Ariel felt her breath hitch. She assumed he would yell, forbid her, refuse to even consider allowing her what would make her happiest. But he wasn't! He was thinking, and she just may be making progress. "Yes?" she said softly, hoping he would speak before he changed his mind.

"I don't want you to get hurt Ariel, and it's clear this means a lot to you."

She nodded, remaining silent in order to encourage him to keep speaking.

"And I don't think our argument will progress if we keep yelling our opinions at each other. So…I will turn you into a human, and I'll do so for three days. I'll give you a spell that will gently float the surface so I know you're safe, but I won't come with you. I don't want to-to see this." He stopped speaking and cleared his throat. "I'm not ready to see this. But, at sunset in three days, I will come to the shore. If you can find a suitable reason to stay – one that seems suitable to me as well – they you could stay human, if you wanted to."

A tear ran down Ariel's cheek. "Daddy…I love you."

"I love you too, Ariel. That's why I'm doing this."

 **Review, please!**


	5. Spell: Two To the Human World

Triton turned to his daughter again, giving her a solemn look. "And if you don't find a suitable reason – I must _agree_ that it's suitable - to stay, you have to come back down to the sea, and I don't want to hear anything of the human world anymore."

Ariel nodded, so grateful that she would've agreed to anything.

"And…" Triton continued. "you have to give Marcus a chance. A real, honest, open chance."

Ariel bit her lip, but this opportunity was ultimately too much to refuse based on parameters she'd never meet. She'd only have to go out with Marcus if she couldn't find a reason to stay up on shore. And she had a million reasons. "Deal." She nodded curtly.

"You're sure you want to do this, Ariel?" Triton confirmed.

"I'm positive."

"I'll be watching you best I can, I promise." Triton cleared his throat. "I'll send crabs to watch you, since they're a part of sea and shore."

"We all could be." Ariel said very softly, but Triton ignored her comment.

"None of these…potions will work the way you want them to, even all mixed together." Triton said, still very saddened by the coming prospect. "So I'm going to put you under an enchantment. It'll put you to sleep, because the transformation process is uncomfortable, and possibly painful. I don't actually know, and I don't want to experiment on you. You'll wake up again once you break the surface, and the potion will help guide you to the beach. You'll wake up to legs and lungs, and everything should function normally. If anything, _anything_ goes wrong, tell one of the crabs and they'll come get me. Okay?"

"I love you, Daddy." Ariel beamed, on the verge of tears. Her dreams were coming true, and her father was giving humanity a chance!

…

"Hello, Prince Marcus!" a maid gave a polite curtsey.

"Lovely to see you miss." Marcus smiled back. "I'm here for lunch. Well, I'm a bit early, but I was hoping to catch some time with the lovely Princess Ariel."

"Oh, I just saw her! She went that way not twenty minutes ago." the main exclaimed, pointing down a hall. "Do you wish for me to come with you?"

"Oh, I won't take you away from your work." Marcus smiled politely. "I'm sure I can find my way."

Marcus fluffed up a bundle of blooms he had brought. They were a lovely shade of purple, and he thought they would make Ariel's hair really pop. She would love them. He was so engrossed in his fantasy of her acceptance of the blooms that he barely noticed the eerie glow that began to emanate from the room just to his left. Barely, but he did.

"What the-" Marcus was cut off when he saw the strangest sight.

Ariel – _his_ princess – was in some sort of enchanted, floating slumber. There was a soft, golden glow about her and she floated just a foot or so above the ground. Her eyes were closed, as if she had been sleeping, and she was clearly under some sort of…enchantment.

Marcus gasped, dropping the blooms. A sorcerer – the sorcerer! He must've gotten her already! Marcus berated himself. He should've been more careful, he should've listened to the story! Of course the sorcerer was coming! He swam after Ariel, keeping a safe distance from her, so that the sorcerer would not know that Marcus already knew. By doing this, he was sure he'd be able to see where Ariel was headed, and thus be led directly to the evil, cruel sorcerer who would dare to put such a kind girl under an enchantment.

To his surprise, Ariel did not head deeper into the depths of the ocean, but rather, she seemed to rise to the surface. Once she looked like she was about to break into open air, Marcus realized just how clever this sorcerer was, and how very well-hidden. He had always assumed the sorcerer would be a merman, but it was quite more sinister to be a human. This was not something he had considered.

Now he was in unknown territory, and he was scared.

Marcus bit his lip and looked around the castle, almost as if there could've possibly been someone there to help him. What was he supposed to do next? The Golden Prince hadn't seen his princess taken, but he had still acted as soon as he knew.

"Okay!" Marcus steadied himself, recalling what was going to happen next. "I need supplies – wits, potions, sword."

And he was off to find them.

…

Triton swam out of the room and to a far-off sitting room, where he could regroup himself before going to tell the rest of his daughters. After everything the human world had done to her mother, to him, to her family, Ariel still loved it. She was willing to inflict unknown damage to herself in order to be there, and try as he might, Triton couldn't understand why.

Not just that, he didn't _want_ to _understand_. Triton knew the worst parts of humanity, and they were damning enough to make him forgo forgiveness to the rest of what encompasses being a human. Yes, Ariel was the youngest when everything happened, but she still knew. Had he sheltered her too much? Had he been too lax?

He leaned back in an overstuffed chair and let the sadness wash over him. He was letting his baby girl go to the surface, and go as a human. Never, in a thousand years, would he have thought that was going to happen. The rules were out the window now – he had already caved on his most important ban.

Now, there needed to be new evaluations and rules made, and Triton wasn't quite at a place where he could accept that yet. Maybe Ariel would come running back in an hour, pleading with him to change her back, change her back! But, even harder to face, maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd be waiting for him to finally work up the courage to meet her at the shoreline, where she'd list off a ton of somehow-valid reasons why she should stay.

And that would change everything. What would Triton do if he had to accept the surface once more? If it took another one of his girls?

Why was it so drawn to red-haired women?

…

Marcus stalled for a minute. He had his wits about him, but the Golden Prince had much more. He had to properly arm himself, or else unknown horrors could occur.

He poked into the room Ariel had emerged from, hoping he could perhaps glean some clues. The room itself was impressive, but there was a door left open to another, smaller, yet equally impressive rooms. Because, ah, this room was filled with potions.

Marcus could hardly believe his luck! Yes, he had spent many years studying how to make potions, but it would've been rather difficult to get all the supplies and brew everything for the proper time, and still rescue Ariel in a timely fashion. He knew what types he needed, and was able to sort through them quickly and take the few he needed – except for one.

A certain potion – arguably the most important one to him, was not to be found. Mumbling benign curses, he fumbled through a potion book. After a few minutes, he found a suitable one and ripped it out of the book. It only required a few ingredients, and those were very easy to locate.

He swam back out into the open room and dumped his supplies into a hanging shoulder bag, headed to one final stop. A most heinous place, every merperson knew to avoid it, but those most desperate or most noble knew to ignore those warnings. So, he pressed forward, going deeper into the sea until he could barely see his hand a foot in front of his own face. After what seemed like a life's worth of swimming, the twisted cavern finally emerged into view.

Ursula's lair.

He needed to become a human in order to fight for Ariel; he needed some way to get to her, and to defeat the sorcerer. He knew of no other ways! Only the most powerful merpeople could ever do such a thing, and just based off the rhetoric he had heard from Atlantican people and King Triton especially, he knew there would be no easy channel for him to do this.

But, when he finally got to the opening of the lair, he stalled. Looking up around him, he saw nothing but points of light emanating from the cavern. There was near silence, save for the whooshing of heavy currents and some desperate moans he wasn't sure he was imagining. There was a smell of death emanating from within, as if the whole cavern was rotting from the inside out. The Sea Witch's nature was known very well all throughout Atlantica, but not as well throughout the ocean. Marcus hadn't had time to decide how much of her folklore was true, and how much was scare tactic muttered to children. But there was so much at stake, he had to find out the most direct way.

He closed his eyes, and steadied himself with his greatest source of strength. "What," Marcus recited to himself. "will he rescue you from some well-laid trap?"

He began to swim again, envisioning his fulfillment of the great story that was his love for Ariel. He would free her from this curse, and rescue her from whichever sorcerer had laid it upon her! He closed his eyes and thought of everything he had done to emulate his hero, and everything he would do to finally be with his red-haired princess; his beloved.

"Will he swoop out of nowhere, and charm us all?"

 _"Why, darling Adella, it's always so lovely to see you!"_

 _The sisters gathered around Marcus the first day he had come to call on Ariel. They had all only seen him at the ball, barely spoken, but he had already taken the time to know their names and match them to faces. They all found it very sweet, and pressed to learn more about him._

 _"Well I already spoke with lovely Attina on this," Marcus smiled, taking the seat that was offered to him. "I'm here to live with some relatives."_

 _"Any particular reason?" Aquata asked._

 _"I knew I had to leave my home, and I knew I had to go far." Marcus nodded firmly. "The great adventures of heroes never play out in their backyard, and I picked the first kingdom I saw on a map. Destiny guided me, and now I am here."_

 _"Talk about a snap decision!" Alana laughed. "We had never even seen you before, you just sort of popped up out of nowhere."_

"Will he be handsome, the handsomest man of all?"

 _Marcus prided himself on not being vain, but he had worked very hard to enhance God's natural gifts. He had heard confirmation of his success in this endeavor at the ball, where small groups of mermaids had gathered together, and he overheard their whispers of how cute he was, how shiny his hair was, and how nice he looked._

 _"Hello." A girl, maybe fifteen approached him._

 _She had gone unnoticed over the course of the ball, for Marcus was so entranced by the red-haired princess who spun with her friends and family, dancing like she was trying to lure him in. It was working._

 _"Hello, miss." Marcus said politely, then refocused his energy on how he could make Ariel notice him once more._

 _"Would you like to…to dance with me?"_

 _Now this took Marcus off guard! It was very strange for a girl to ask a boy to dance, especially at an event this formal, and especially considering they were likely both of noble blood._

 _"I'm sorry," he said, as kindly as he could. "But I'm already obliged."_

"And rich, beyond your wildest dreams?"

 _"If you have to go, take this." Marcus' mother leaned on the doorway, holding out a bag._

 _"What is it? Marcus pushed his brow together._

 _"Money." She gave a cheeky smile. "We already sent some ahead to your relatives, and you should be more than taken care of, but just in case. Who knows what could happen."_

 _"Oh mother, it's Atlantica, not anywhere wild." Marcus smiled at her, and took the bag. "Thank you, though."_

 _"And if you ever need any more, just write us, okay? Promise?"_

 _"Mother!" Marcus beamed, kissing her cheek. "I'll write without needing money, I assure you. But, should anything be needed, I'll contact you. Promise."_

Marcus knew his fate, and now was not the time to back down from the story as it had been written. He had to do this, for his red haired princess.

"Come in, come in child!" a menacing voice beckoned him forward. "You swim the hallowed halls of many other brave souls before you…"

…

With a loud gasp, Ariel broke the surface, drawing air into her lungs for the first time ever. She fumbled, trying to use her tail to push herself up higher towards the surface, but her tail wasn't _functioning_ , and she was so _dizzy_ , and – **legs**! It all came back to Ariel like a wave crashing over her. She had legs, a pair of her own! She tried kicking them both at the same time, but they were very hard to synchronize, and she had to settle for giving a firm kick with one, then the other.

Luckily, she had surfaced very close to the shoreline, and it didn't take her long to get there. And what a pleasant swim it was! There was a slight drag on her body, as she had lost a lot of swimming power, and she was now dressed in a shining purple dress. She figured this was her father's doing, and she smiled. Ariel loved the feeling of the sun on her back, and she reveled in it as she finally climbed to shore, flopping down in the sand. It still felt like brown sugar.

She was breathing heavily by the time she landed, and took a few moments to rest up on the beach. She was finally here. This was day one of three guaranteed to her, with the hope of many more to come. Licking her lips, she set about trying to right herself. Once she was on two feet – her own two feet! – then she could go find Eric.

He had pointed her in the direction of his castle once – and how many castles could there be in one country, besides? She was confident in her ability to find it, confident she'd get the hang of her legs, and confident these next few days would be beautiful, almost as confident as she was that these would not be her only days spent as a human.

 **Review, please!**


	6. Spell: Be Safe, Little Princess

Eric leaned back and dragged his hands down his face. He just couldn't focus. Not today, not yesterday, not for quite a bit now, and it was starting to become a frustration, for even though his motivation wasn't building, his workload certainly was. And he knew why, too. That may've made it even more frustrating.

Try as he might to focus on other things – important things, no doubt! – he could only think of Ariel.

She was almost unreal, and he felt dread at any notion that she may be too good to be true. That he had somehow cooked her up, or had such a realistic dream that he couldn't quite detach it from reality. Both seemed more likely, how could he be so lucky? Not to mention, there were enough aspects of fantasy to make it implausible. She was a mermaid, for heaven's sake, one with the ability to roam the whole ocean, but just happened to end up here, where he was.

But she just had to be real.

The way she spoke to him, the way she was so interested in the world around her. How she laughed, and how her nose scrunched up a little before she shook her head 'no'. These little, perfect idiosyncrasies couldn't belong to a fantasy. They had to belong to a girl. To Ariel.

Eric rose from his chair. He would go down to the beach, and wait until she popped her head up again, no matter how long it took. Usually, she had been coming by every few days, and he could only hope that she'd be back sometime tonight.

…

Ariel quickly grew accustomed to her legs, likely out of sheer willpower. Sure, she couldn't do cartwheels or fancy kicks or anything like that quite yet, but she could stand, and walk, and even run, though not very quickly or gracefully.

As her father had promised, there were plenty of crabs to guard and protect her.

"I'm fine" she nodded at them, smiling.

One scuttled up to her and said "Be safe, little princess."

Ariel smiled at the sweet thing, and patted him gently on the head. "I will, I promise."

She wasn't sure what they were going to do, and upon her assurance and clear evidence that she was fine, and had transformed properly, some of the crabs scuttled back into the sea. Others stayed, promising to hang back, but keep guard on her. Ariel sighed, finding this all a bit dramatic, but happy to just have any chance at all!

It was time to head up to the castle. It was time to see Eric!

...

Marcus' deal with the Sea Witch was a simple one. She didn't ask for anything up front, and brewed him up a great potion. It bubbled black and had a sludge-like consistency, and Marcus wanted to almost leave just at the sight of it. Initially, Marcus had shakily handed over the recipe he had taken from the potion book, asking if should could make this one as well, but she laughed uproariously and informed him that he was lucky enough to be getting one favor, and that he couldn't possibly afford two. Marcus sheepishly rolled up the potion and tucked it back into his bag, looking back down into the foul-smelling basin before him.

"You will drink this." She had instructed, scooping a hearty amount of it into a bottle.

Marcus groaned. Of course.

The potion would make him a human, and do so for three days. In this time, he had to rescue his princess and receive a kiss from her – The Sea Witch stressed that it was very important she willingly kissed him, for a kiss from him to her would do nothing towards winning him the bargain.

Should he succeed, he and his darling could choose to both be merpeople, or both be humans ("Merpeople!" Marcus had cried out at this point), and they'd live happily. With their success, though, came a price. He would have to find a way to bring King Triton's trident to her lair, and do so within three days of his success. Should he fail, and his girl not kiss him, then he would belong to Ursula.

Marcus accepted. The conditions of his success were intimidating, but considering how he'd be returning to the sea as Ariel's husband-to-be, he didn't think it'd be that difficult to get the trident. King Triton would likely even give it willingly, considering how much it would mean to his daughter's happiness.

After drinking the vile potion, Marcus convulsed and writhed in great pain, until the sudden shock of deprivation hit him and he realized – he needed air. He kicked mightily for the surface, and made up, with just enough energy to claw himself up onto the beach – and with what timing!

He saw Ariel (who else could have hair so red, and such confidence in unsteady steps?) headed up a low-sloped hill towards a large castle. Had she looked back, she would've seen him undoubtedly. But, she did not. He rose to his own two feet, and found himself grateful that the Sea Witch had given him legs so strong. Looking down to account for his many potions and recipe, he grabbed a pair of trousers off of a clothesline, and headed up towards the castle himself, maintaining a safe distance.

While she made a beeline to the door, Marcus moved much more quickly – he didn't expect to be so strong so fast! – towards the side of the castle, until he at last found an open window. He checked quickly to ensure no maid or guest was inside the room, and then slithered in.

The room was empty. The castle was huge. If he was inconspicuous and changed rooms often, Marcus was sure he could remind hidden in this labyrinth, and save his beloved redheaded princess.

…

Eric hopped down the stairs two at a time, feeling a great urge to be down at the beach and possibly see Ariel. Such an urge, it felt almost like a panic. Like there was some great timer ticking down and preparing to deprive him of her. These thoughts were nonsense, he knew this logically, but he also logically knew that he wouldn't be seeing her today at all, but he ignored these bits of reasoning wholeheartedly and continued his way to the beach.

He flung open the back door, drinking in the sensations as he felt the salty air, and warmth of sun. He took one step down, and looked up when he heard a small _oof_.

Trekking towards him, was Ariel, waving her arms slightly as if she had just stepped on something.

Stepped on something! She had legs! The beautiful mermaid had not only come to meet him, she had done so on his turf, with two beautiful legs and a wide smile, as she finally realized he was there.

"Eric!" she cried out, smiling wider.

"Ariel," he barely breathed, feeling like all the air had been sucked out of him. He instinctually ran to her, sweeping her up in an embrace and semi-consciously chanting "you're here, you're here!"

Ariel laughed, tipping her head back. "I am!"

"You have to come inside, you have to tell me everything." Eric said, speaking quickly and excitedly. He finally put her back down on her feet – her feet! – and truly looked her up and down. "I can't believe this." He said, shaking his head. "I never thought such a miracle could be possible."

Ariel laughed at this as well. "Ah, I see! You had no trouble accepting that I'm a mermaid, but human is a bit of a stretch?"

"I'm not saying it makes sense, I'm saying it's how I feel." Eric shrugged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, I'll tell you everything." Ariel looked up at him. "But I'm here, and I love it already."

"I love that you're here. My world is better for having you in it."

…

The Sea Witch sunk down to her crystal ball, watching Marcus move. The boy stashed the potions all together, in the back of a closet in the guest room. He slid out and seemed to move about the castle, clutching a potion in one hand, clearly nervous.

He already moved with such confidence, and it was due solely to her fantastic potion. She was rather proud. By propping this boy up, she gave herself the best shot she had yet come across to gain power in the kingdom.

The Sea Witch smiled; she was many things, but she prided herself most on her powers as a sorcerer.

 **Hey, if you guys are still interested in the story, please review! I don't really want to write it if no one cares about it tbh and, like, no one is reviewing…**


	7. Spell: Day One

Eric swept Ariel up into the castle with such joy and sheer giddiness that she forgot any concerns, provisos, or limits to her situation, or to her humanity as a whole. For those few minutes, she could do anything, be anything, achieve any and all of her dreams and goals. The two were laughing, already laughing; for it was not the laughter that comes with humor, but what comes with relief; when you can finally let out the breath you didn't even know you were holding.

"You'll be staying with me of course." Eric smiled, then flushed. "Well, not with me-with me, but in my castle. In your own room."

Ariel giggled at his nervousness, and smiled up at the castle. They looked nothing like the ones in Atlantica! Of course, her home was beautiful, and so were many other ones in her kingdom, but they weren't beautiful in the way this castle was! Everything was so bright and colorful, as opposed to the many shades of gold, blue, and green she was accustomed to. There were all sorts of patterns and pictures she didn't recognize, as well as things she knew only from her books – stairs! Footrests!

"Your home is gorgeous." Ariel smiled, and Eric stopped for a second, looking down at her.

"Eric? Who – who is your friend?" a woman scuttled over to them, straightening her headscarf.

"Ah, well I suppose introductions are beginning!" Eric said happily. "Carlotta, this is Ariel. Ariel this is Carlotta."

"Pleasure." The woman shook her hand enthusiastically, then turned back to Eric for an explanation.

"I've known Ariel for, for a bit now, and…" Eric wavered a bit, not sure how to phrase the rest of the sentence. He didn't want to say anything too dramatic, for fear Ariel might not feel the exact same way, for fear Carlotta might take it too far. "and she's very special to me. She'll be staying here for a bit."

"Well any guest of Eric's is a guest most welcome! Come honey, you're soaked!"

Eric and Ariel both smiled a bit at this.

"Yes, we spent a little time on the beach this morning." Ariel finally explained. "I suppose I did get a bit carried away."

"Well we've got plenty of fresh clothes just for purposes like this!" Carlotta said cheerily, leading the girl off. "We'll get you all cleaned up and fresh, and see where the day goes from there!"

…

Marcus kept one small bottle on his person, and slithered out of the room and down the hall, trying to strike a balance between not being heard or seen, and looking so confident in his movements that no one would think to question his being there in the first place. He was happy to finally make such progress in bringing Ariel to him, and advance more through their story.

And though he had his story, his divine truth, to guide him, he couldn't help but worry about all the possible variables. The sorcerer's castle, or lair, he wasn't sure which was a more fitting word, wasn't described much in the book, and Marcus had no idea exactly how to get around this particular building. It was large, and there were implications that the red-haired princess was tucked away somewhere sinister – but where?

Not to mention, there had been slight differences – the story was only a grand inspiration, after all. Maybe his princess was tucked up in a tower, or deep in the trenches of a building. He truly did not know, and there was a lot at stake; too much for him to be so ill-informed. Marcus tried to gather intel as he moved through the halls, quickly peaking in rooms and keeping an eye out for any maids or staff.

"We are just so happy to see you – Eric's been in a daze for so long, and you're certainly a suitable reason."

"That's so sweet – and I'm happy to be here!"

Marcus paused. He knew that second voice. He could never forget that voice. Ariel was here, and walking about! He could not run up to her right away, of course. Who knew how the sorcerer had devised protection? Besides, the first step was to minimize her pain and distress.

Marcus pulled the little bottle out of his pocket and shook it up. He was in a whole new world, but some things were still the same.

…

"Now don't you worry a bit, hun. We'll get you washed up and changed, and then it's getting close to lunch time, see."

"Sounds wonderful." Ariel smiled dreamily. This woman was so kind – instantly warming to her as soon as the moment arose! She would be forever grateful.

"Pick out whatever you fancy most!" Carlotta swept her arm to the side, revealing an assortment of dresses.

Ariel smiled – dresses! She had never had a foot length one, mostly because she had never had feet. She took her time to look through them, feeling the soft material of the green silk dress, and the more durable material of the blue cotton one. They were all beautiful and unique in their own way – be it the embroidery, construction, or beading. She felt joy at the possibility of one day wearing them all.

"I think I'll take this one." She eventually decided, pulling out a violet one. There was lace at the cuffs, and pleating made the skirt swirl very nicely.

"That will be lovely on you." Carlotta affirmed. "Here, I've laid out some underclothes to you." She gestured quickly to the bed, and Ariel saw a series of white garments that she couldn't quite figure out. Some were obvious – looking like smaller versions of dresses, but others would require trial and error.

Carlotta did not pick up on her confusion – why would she be looking for it? – and waved the girl to the bathroom. "I'll draw up a bath."

Ariel pushed any confusion out of her head, and focused at the new task at hand. The bathroom showed itself to be full of all sorts of new things, and Ariel couldn't wait to get a hand on them!

…

Marcus had followed them, almost silently, managing to stay the perfect distance behind to not lose sight of them, yet not to alert them as to his presence. He knew not if the sorcerer's enchantment had worn off Ariel, or if he had given her some sort of more heinous potion, so he knew not what it obligated her to do! Perhaps upon sight of him, her true love, she would scream. Perhaps the sorcerer would be somehow alerted, and be thus able to run up and ruin everything.

So he knew he must stick to the book, and not deviate from the plans simply for convenience. He would administer the first potion to her, and soon enough, all would be well.

"Here, I've laid out some underclothes for you."

Marcus heard a woman speak. Being as it was a voice he did not recognize, he assumed it to be the woman who had been escorting Ariel around. He heard no voice in response, and figured no one had been waiting for them in the room. It was just Ariel, and the maid.

"I'll draw up a bath."

He pressed his ear to the door, listening as water was sloshed into a tub, and Ariel began asking questions about a bottled substance. Their voices seemed farther away, and Marcus ventured a peek through the cracked door. No one was in the room.

He moved quickly, knowing that at any moment he could be spotted. He uncorked the bottle and sprinkled it over the underclothes that were laid out; though he was not sure of what all of them were, he knew that underclothes would be closest to her body. This would be the best he could do, save for dumping the potion on Ariel directly.

Popping the cork back in, he moved swiftly from the room, undetected by the two ladies not more than ten feet away.

…

"No, uh, not today!" Eric said quickly, moving Chef Louie's hand away from the crab.

"Why znot?" the man asked, pushing his brow together. "It ez my best dish!"

"Oh, Louie, all your dishes are your best dish."

Louie merely harrumphed at this.

"Just, no seafood today, okay? Please?"

"Fine, fine." Louie waved his hand. "I zwill could this as a personal favor."

Eric laughed. "Sure thing, Lou. I appreciate it."

Eric walked back out into the dining hall, and surveyed around. It was immaculate, as always, with a table set for two. It always looked perfect, but for some reason he was more obsessive about it today. Well, he knew the reason why: Ariel. She had no exposure to the human world, or minimal exposure at least, at everything had to be perfect.

He had to talk to her and eventually find out the…specifics of how she got here. Eric knew of no way for a man to change to a merman, so he assumed the reverse was equally as difficult. Were there any sorts of needs she'd now have? Provisos?

He was of no disposition to ask her today, not when she had just gotten here, not where everything was so bright and fresh and new. But soon, he knew, curiosity would weigh him down until it required alleviation, and he would be driven to ask her, regardless of any latent fear of the response. Today, today just got to be perfect.

His head snapped to the side as he heard the heavy oak door slide open, and through it emerged Ariel.

"Hello." He breathed.

She smiled wordlessly at him, but took her time walking over, surveying the surroundings around herself. After gazing at the paintings, architecture, and ocean scene just outside, she turned her gaze on him. He felt himself freeze, and gave her the best smile he could produce under the circumstances.

"Hello." She finally responded, her voice soft and lush.

"Here, come sit down." Eric said quickly, taking her arm and tugging her over.

"Wha-oha!" Ariel yelled, as she teetered a bit, managing to only just stop herself from falling.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Eric cursed himself mentally – she only just got her legs! Of course she can't sprint across the dining hall! Stupid!

Ariel grabbed at her head for just a second, but rose to her feet otherwise fine. "Sorry, just a little clumsy I guess."

"No, no it's my fault." Eric assured her, leading her now much more slowly.

"No issue. I'm fine." Ariel promised, but she rubbed her temple again.

"Good." Eric smiled at her, taking a sip of his drink as soon as it was placed in front of him. "So, um, how do you like the palace?"

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" Ariel cooed. "Carlotta showed me my room and there's so many beautiful dresses and wonderful things. I could spend the rest of my life just examining that room and never run out of things to see."

"Well, good news is, we'll let you out of the castle too." Eric joked.

Ariel gave a soft laugh at this. "Oh good, I was hoping that'd be permitted."

Carlotta brought out the dishes and set them out. Opening the covers, she allowed the steam to waft out and revealed the pasta in front of them.

"In fact," Eric asked, picking up a dinglehopper. "would you like to go explore a bit tomorrow?"

Ariel passed out, and landed face-first in her dish.

 **Review, please!**


	8. Spell: Bad Taste

"Ariel!" Eric said urgently, shooting up and rushing to her side. He pulled her out of her dish and shook her lightly, hoping it had just been a passing spell of dizziness, or something else easily recovered from. "Ariel?" he shook her a little bit harder, grabbing her napkin to wipe her face.

"It must be the stays, they must be too tight." Carlotta offered. "She wasn't wearing any when she undressed, perhaps she's unused to them?"

"Perhaps!" Eric agreed, scooping the girl up. "How can we fix this?"

"Bring her to her room and leave her," Carlotta instructed. "I'll undo the stays and let you know if she rouses."

"Yes, good." Eric nodded, hustling over to the guest room. "I'll be right outside." He promised Ariel and Carlotta alike, and shut the door behind him.

"Oh dear, I probably should've helped you dress." Carlotta snickered in good humor. Her underclothes were all wrong! She had tugged petticoats up over her bosom, tied garters around her ankles, and placed her stay close to her skin, without a shift between it. The rubbing had left red marks, and Carlotta fetched a clean, cotton shifts out of a drawer and placed it over the girl instead.

Having unknowingly freed Ariel of the sleeping-potion drenched clothes, Carlotta tossed them into a basket to go to the washing, and tucked the girl into bed.

Ariel gave a little squirm and blinked a few times, returning to the waking world. "Did I really just dream all that?" she asked, groggily.

"Is she okay?" Eric called through the door.

"She's fine!" Carlotta called back. "Come on in!"

Eric opened the door and sat on the edge of Ariel's bed, taking her hand. "You had me worried!" he said, half-seriously, half-laughing.

"What happened?" Ariel pressed again.

"I think you tied your stays too tightly." Carlotta said kindly. "You fainted at mealtime. But I got you out of those clothes and into that shift, and we'll just let you rest here for a bit."

"Oh, how embarrassing." Ariel pressed her hands to the side of her face.

"No, not at all!" Eric reassured her. "We're mostly just glad you're okay. I thought you had fallen ill – and just when you got here!"

Ariel laughed. "I guess I must've just gotten overwhelmed! I'm just so excited to be here!"

…

Marcus couldn't afford more than a quick peek into the room – if he lingered too long he'd most surely be spotted, and that would leave him at the mercy of the sorcerer, before he had had a chance to truly prepare for their final battle.

He saw Ariel, sitting upright in a shift free of his protective potion. His fists clenched and it took all his strength to keep him from crying out. He was a fool! He should've found a way to get it on her skin, in her bath, to let it fully absorb into her pores! Instead, like a jackass, he settled for letting it be on her clothes and now she would be forced to still experience the wrath and evil of the sorcerer, without any potion to bring her peace.

Marcus moved away smoothly, thumping his fists against the side of his legs. He had not lost her yet, no, but he had been foiled once. The Golden Prince experienced no such setbacks – he was as suave and effective as his name indicated. There was a reason books were written about him, why his life was meant to be a guiding point for other young men.

Marcus would not let himself make another mistake like this. He would not let Ariel suffer for his inadequacies. With his conviction, he set out to complete his next task, and headed out of the castle in look of the stables.

…

"I'm feeling much better, honest." Ariel insisted, moving to leave the safety of her covers.

"No, no, dear. Mustn't get excited again too soon." Carlotta said lovingly, resting a firm but gentle hand on Ariel's shoulder.

"But-but" Ariel looked at Eric, furring her brow in fear. "Who knows how long I'll be here, and I want to see everything possible."

"Oh, I'm sure Eric extending you an offer to stay as long as you like."

Eric nodded a little. "Of course, as long as you can and desire to."

"Well," Ariel sighed. "It's all dependent on my father, see. And, uh-" she struggled to word it gracefully, in a way that would tell Eric without revealing too much to Carlotta.

"Uh, Carlotta? Would you mind getting some tea for Ariel? I think that'd really help her strength."

"Why of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Carlotta bustled off, bobbing happily.

"What's the issue? You never did tell me how long you'd be able to stay."

"Well, you know I'm not from here." Ariel said gently, balling up the sheet in her hands.

"Yes, I did notice that with the tail and all." Eric gave her a half-smile.

"My father doesn't like the idea of me coming here – the surface, not just your kingdom. He doesn't really like humans."

"Oh." Eric said sadly. "I'm afraid I can't help much with that."

"And it's not an issue!" Ariel reassured him, dropping the sheet to grab his hands. " _I_ love humans, and I love being here with you! He's the only one who needs some…convincing."

"And? How do I convince him?"

"Well, it's vague." Ariel huffed, blowing up her bangs. "He gave me three days to come and explore, and if you'll have me, I'd like to spend them all with you."

"Of course!" Eric exclaimed happily. His face soon fell. "Only three days?"

"Now that's just the thing. I have to find a reason – a reason good enough for my father – as to why I should remain human and stay here. If I can do so, then he'll make me human – permanently."

"What's the reason?"

"I don't know." Ariel said truthfully. "I can think of a million reasons as to why I should stay, but I can also think of why they'd only be persuasive to me. Father hates the human world, and any object or place I can show him or tell him about…it'd mean nothing. A thousand wonderful inventions and he'd only see junk."

"We'll think of something." Eric promised her, threading his fingers through hers.

Ariel raised her eyes slowly to meet his, and let a smile slowly spread. Eric shifted a little closer to her, softly speaking. "I've waited so long to be with you Ariel. I think about you all the time."

"I promise," she whispered. "I've been thinking of you just as often."

Eric reached one hand out to stroke her cheekbone down to her chin, where he held her soft face in his hands. Leaning in, he –

"I've got the tea right here, dears."

Eric jerked back sharply at Carlotta's intrusion, and Carlotta sheepishly hung in the door for a second before deciding that the moment was lost, and she might as well bring the tea in while it was hot.

"Lemon, sugar, or milk?" she asked Ariel.

Ariel laughed a little, unfamiliar with all of the words. "All!"

"Well, that's unique, but to each their own." Carlotta shrugged, mixing up the potion and handing it over.

…

Marcus pried open the heavy doors, and was hit with a hundred new smells. Hay, horses, wood, oil – these were things he could not yet put a name to, and he didn't intend to learn to either. He had a job to do. He paid no heed to the sound of his steps – he was sure he would not have his cover blown by these monstrous land beasts. He opened each door until, at last, he found the carriages he was looking for.

He paused for but a moment, wondering if he could somehow do the job as to ensure that Ariel would not be hurt. This would be so much better if the sleeping potion had worked! Then the sorcerer would've had no choice but to leave Ariel alone and safe, perhaps in a bedchamber tower.

Marcus knew he'd just have to keep an extra close watch on his love, and set about his task.

…

"Well, then what will we do now?" Ariel asked, after choking down her tea. It truly was disgusting. "Can we go to town? I'm feeling much better."

"I don't think that's prudent, love." Carlotta said.

"Oh, Eric, come now. You must see that I'm fine."

"No, we'll rest tonight and then I'll take you out into town tomorrow, and show you everything with so much fervor that one would've never thought you were sick at all." Eric said cheerfully.

"Do you promise?" Ariel pressed, excited.

"I promise. And I don't make promises unless I really, really mean them."

 **Review, please!**


	9. Spell: Into Town, Into Trouble

**Sorry for the unintentional (2nd) hiatus, I was without my laptop for a month :(**

Carlotta was always the first one up in the castle – as head of the maids she had to make sure that everything was running smoothly, and she always wanted to be sure everything was getting off to a good start before Eric would be up and moving about the castle. It was early still, and Carlotta expected complete silence, but she did not get it. There was the very distinct sound of footsteps on the floor above her – the floor with the bedrooms.

And she would've perhaps ignored them had they not been so peculiar. Why should it be so odd that there were footsteps near the bedrooms? It was the royal bedrooms, but there was Eric and, a bit down the hall, Ariel. Either one of them could be awake. But these were not casual steps, walking briskly to either get up and greet the day, or perhaps to get a cup of water. These steps were slow, creaking, like a clumsy cat trying to get about. Carlotta stopped, and listened, and recognized that every time there was a creak, there was a pause.

This concerned Carlotta. There should be nothing in ill taste going on upstairs, was it possible there was an intruder of some sort? Should she alert the guards? Tell someone?

No, no. Carlotta gave her head a shake and calmed down. She was overreacting. There was probably nothing wrong – maybe a strange draft.

But she shouldn't doubt her senses! She was perfectly aware of what a draft was, and it did not have feet. There was someone sneaking around upstairs, and Carlotta was going to go and see what it was. She grabbed a candlestick, thinking that if it were some sort of prowler…she didn't let herself finish the thought, but the cool weight of it was reassuring.

Carlotta crept up the winding staircase and peered down the hall. A figure turned a doorknob and leapt into the room. Carlotta hopped up the last few stairs quickly enough to hear a feminine voice laugh and exclaim "Wake _up_ , Eric! We lost almost all of yesterday, no sense in sleeping in today!"

Carlotta exhaled and laughed as she walked into the room. Ariel was hopping at the edge of Eric's bed, as the sleepy prince was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, come here." He laughed, grabbing Ariel's wrist and pulling her down.

"Hi, Lottie." Ariel smiled as Eric wrapped both his hands around hers.

"What's the candlestick for?" Eric asked, jerking his chin towards it.

"Oh!" Carlotta flushed slightly. "Oh, uh, um, I just thought it would…look nice in your room!" She awkwardly placed it on his bedside table. "I've just come to help Ariel get dressed – Louie will have breakfast on the table soon."

"Oh good!" Ariel smiled, hopping out of bed.

…

After a light and lively breakfast, the couple packed a light lunch and got ready for their day on the town. A stable hand brought around the carriage, but Eric was insistent that he could drive, and when the boy offered again, Eric dismissed the idea once more, saying that he didn't need a 'chaperone'. The stable hand laughed a little, and handed over the reins.

They were off at a quick clip, and Ariel couldn't have been more excited! She smiled and shifted so that she was sitting on her knees, peering over her shoulder and turning around to see the castle grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

"The castle isn't very removed from town." Eric said. We just cross a little bridge, and we're there!" He used the tip of his chin to gesture at a bridge they were quickly approaching. It wasn't more than ten feet long, and it was constructed over a sparkling and rapid-moving river.

"What are we doing in town today?" Ariel asked, her curiosity starting to – what's the word? – burn. She turned back around and settled into their seat as they began to cross the bridge.

"Well-"

Eric was cut off with a sudden jolt – the right wheels of the carriage had been thrown off and the carriage tipped to the edge of the bridge. Eric tried to stop the horses in hopes of stalling the momentum, but the left wheels popped off as well, and the couple was thrown into the water below.

…

Triton noticed how weird the castle felt without Ariel in it. It didn't feel right. Not bad, inherently, but off. And because of this, he found himself pacing around a lot more, hoping that he could right something or make some discovery, some change. He had hoped that some sort of adjustment would make things feel right again.

He poked in and out of rooms that he hadn't been in in years, picking up possessions he had even forgotten were his. Each room was well dusted and maintained by the staff, and while most of the rooms were used, many were neglected and in want of warmth and interaction.

Eventually, Triton worked his way to the potion storage. He was in this room more regularly than some, and very recently, as he clearly remembered. He surveyed around and saw all the potions he had spent his life creating and collecting. It was a collection that meant a lot to him. And if he didn't know the minutia of every placement so well, he probably wouldn't have noticed the book.

There was a book of potions – every potion that he knew of, and with every bit of information. It contained the ingredients of each potion, how to brew it properly, what it did, side effects, and rarity. But the book was open, and Triton always had left it closed. He swam over to investigate, and saw that one of the pages was rumpled. Flipping to it, he realized that he was wrong and it was not rumpled but, rather, torn out completely. Confused, he turned to the index and realized exactly what the potion was.

It was not hard to make, and could be done quickly. It was a weak love potion that caused more of a trance of infatuation than anything else. It could be broken with a painful shock of any kind. Still, Triton knew that he had not ripped this page out of the book, and was incredibly concerned as to who had. As a result, he swam out to the parlor where his daughters were congregated that late morning, and inquired if any of them had been in the potion room, or if any of them ( _Adella_ ) had a use for a weak love potion that they were trying to hide. But each of his daughters pleaded innocence, and Triton believed them. He then made the decision that the girls would be on lockdown at the palace until this could all be sorted out. He didn't want anyone using this potion against his daughters, and with one daughter already in relative danger (sure he had crabs up there with her, but how much could they really do?), he wasn't taking any chances with the rest of them.

…

Ariel had never felt _cold_ water before. Having spent her whole life in it, Ariel was accustomed to water feeling more neutral than anything else. She was aware of it when she waived her arm through it or when she swam through a current, but the temperature didn't get cold unless you swam very, very deep.

Which made her plunge into the river all the more shocking. She didn't have the mental presence or time to cry out at all, she merely shot beneath the water and felt herself sharply pulled downstream. She tried to pump her legs the way she moved her fins but they wouldn't move in sync, and when she kicked out she would sometimes strike a rock.

She hoped that by moving her arms she could gain some control – any control! – over the situation, but there seemed to be no avail. And where was Eric?

…

Marcus had snuck down the kitchen, listening carefully for any signs that the chef may still be in there. But there was no clatter of utensils or humming on tunes, and he figured it would safe for him to go in and grab some of the ingredients for his potion. He crept to the doors and opened one only a crack, just enough space for him to peer in and confirm that the kitchen was, in fact, empty.

Holding the potion recipe tightly in his fist, Marcus entered the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboards. The ingredients were simpler than he could've hoped – mostly oils and vegetables. There were some things from the ocean that he would need (one shell, some sand, a piece of seaweed) but Marcus knew he could grab those next with little to no difficulty.

Then, everything needed to be mixed together and steeped in a cool, dark place for thirteen hours. After that, all would be ready to go.

He tucked one last bottle under his arm and scampered back to an abandoned room, where he rolled all of the ingredients under the guest bed. It was on the first floor, so he slid out of a window and landed with a soft _thud_ on the sand. The plan was working beautifully, as any noble quest should.

 **Review, please!**


	10. Spell: Stumbling and Tumbling

Her skirt was caught on something, and Ariel was grateful for it, as it meant she had finally slowed her tumble downstream. She flailed her arms about, looking for something to grab and eventually found a sturdy rock. She clutched it, panting, and climbed atop.

"Eric?" she yelled out. "Are you okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three small crabs scuttle up and join her on the rock.

"You're still here!" she said with relief, looking at the tiny, life-saving crabs.

"We said we'd stick by you." One of them nodded.

"We're here to help you however possibly, on behalf of your father."

"He just wants you happy, princess. Happy, but also safe." Another assured her.

"Yes, yes." Ariel brushed off, sitting up straighter. "Eric?" she called out again.

"Did you help him?" she said, starting to panic.

The crabs quickly conferred, but confessed. "No, princess. We didn't intend to leave him, but you were our first priority."

"Oh no, oh no!" Ariel exclaimed, whipping her head around. "Eric!" she called out, as loudly as she could.

She was exhausted, physically and emotionally from the frightful tumble downstream, but she knew it didn't matter right now. Eric was still rushing down the river, and he could be hurt or –

Or nothing. Because she was going to find him, and she would keep him safe. Because she loved him. The rock she had crawled atop was only a foot from the riverbank, and it was a jump she should be able to make. She pulled herself into a kneeling position, then to a wobbly standing position, then she fell back into kneeling. She cursed her human body, wishing she could just will it to work! Every second she struggled to stand was an extra second Eric tumbled to the unknown – sharp rocks, waterfalls, and thousands of other terrible things.

Ariel drew herself up into a shaky stand and swung her arms forward, leaping onto the soft riverbank. She didn't have enough force to make it all the way, and she landed half in the water. She felt the pull of the current, but enough of her was out of the water to allow her to army crawl up the side of the bank. She started walking, as quickly as she could, and calling out for Eric, Eric?, Eric!

Scanning the whole river, she prayed that he hadn't gone under water, because she didn't know what to do then.

"Crabs, please!" she called out. "Search underwater, help him if he's there!"

While she had full faith in their ability to spot Eric if he did happen to be underwater, she feared that would mean that she was already…too late.

Ariel sped up, feeling strength through adrenaline. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled, "ERIC!"

…

The ingredients were stewing, tucked under a spare bed no one would see. Marcus knew he had one more potion to make – this being perhaps the most important one of all. While he hoped that somehow his sabotage of Eric's carriage would hurt the sorcerer – crush him, or disable him enough to allow Ariel to run back to the sea, he couldn't count of it. And there would be no risks taken when it came to Ariel's safety, and the need to return her to his arms. No, he needed to make the death draught.

For this, he searched through maid's cabinets for pest poisons, he searched painter's cabinets for paint and its remover, he took every foul smelling liquid stored under sinks, and he mixed them together. He knew he did not have the potions skills of someone trained in the practice, but he knew such a terrible brew would surely kill the sorcerer.

"Potions," Marcus held the basin up the light, smiling a bit. "Wits, sword."

The very final element of his collection. Though the Golden Prince needed the potion, and was unable to use the sword, Marcus hoped that he might be able to somehow do even better, and become a hero in his own right. Such a feat would be…fantastical, and it would surely earn him Ariel.

And while Marcus knew that even the sorcerer was not vain enough to leave some armaments closet unlocked, there were plenty of crests and crossed swords around the castle. They were not intended to be used, but Marcus had no moral obligation to heed the wishes of the sorcerer.

He didn't quite remember which room they were in – he hadn't been focusing too much on the layout of the castle, he just kept switching rooms and praying that a maid wouldn't accidently stumble in on him. He didn't want to hurt anyone but the sorcerer, but he would do whatever he needed to in order to destroy him. If that meant someone else had to be taken care of, then that's what it meant. He wasn't fond of the concept, and he took whatever precautions he could, but the fates had a hand in it too.

Just like they had had a hand in bringing he and Ariel together.

Marcus left on a whim, a push of the fates. He knew, not rationally, but emotionally that it was what he had to do to find his red haired princess. His eyes had always been peeled for her; he had always hoped she was walking around his own kingdom somewhere. But that was not how their story went, and Marcus knew that he just had to accept that.

But he did not memorize that tale, internalize it for nothing. He did not leave every comfort of home to live with new relatives in order to not find his princess. He did not go to the ball that night with the intent of not meeting her, and he did not lock eyes with her in order to just look away. He pursued her until she finally began to bend to him, and he had intended to continue until she was fully won over. He knew the sorcerer was coming – it was inevitable, but it was also a good sign. It meant they were in love enough for the story to progress, it meant that they were finally swirling about each other in a sea of gold and red, gold and red. It meant that everything was solved enough for something else to go wrong.

And Marcus knew that this was the only step between him and his happily ever after. Once the sorcerer was slain, his red-haired princess would be so grateful, so in love, that she would happily drink the love potion, allowing for their saccharine affection to permeate aspect of their lives and continue on for the rest of it. Each dawn would be like waking up to a world where they had never known love before that moment. Each day a honeymoon, each moment together as passionate as their last.

Yes, Marcus knew what laid ahead for the Golden Prince, and he so assumed that, should he follow the steps as deftly as he had been doing, it would be quite the same for him.

…

Ariel had never felt so _slow_ before! She was running, she was sure she was, but her whole body ached and she wanted to burst into tears. She scrunched up her nose, bit her lip, and knew that the time for tears was _not_ now, that she _couldn't_ be afraid, and that she _couldn't_ think of _anything_ but finding Eric, and finding him completely okay.

She kept checking with the crabs – every thirty seconds or so one would pop up and say that, sadly, they had no sight of him. Ariel would nod, try to see the bright side – at least he wasn't underwater! – and push on. But she knew that she was going too slowly. And she knew she wasn't getting any faster. Her legs ached, both from her lack of knowledge on how to use them, and from being battered as she was swept downstream, and from kicking and kicking as she was trying to save herself.

Another crab popped its head up.

"Did you find anything?" Ariel panted, still running.

"No, princess." The crab said sadly.

Ariel spoke without thinking.

"Then I'm getting back in. The river is faster than I am."

"Princess, no-" one of the crabs cried, but it was too late.

Ariel dove into the terrifying water, using all of her strength to keep her head above water. _The crabs will grab me if anything happens, I'll be fine._ She tried to reassure herself, but it did nothing for the fear she was feeling. There were a good amount of crabs, and they really did help, but she was too big and moving to quickly for them to rescue her alone. They were good help, but they could only help. They couldn't rescue her or Eric, despite what they tried to assure her.

"Oh no," Ariel moaned, spotting a clump of brush. It had overgrown into the river, and was prickly and very much in her way.

She tried to lay on her side and kick fiercely to get away from it, when she noticed that Eric, barely out of the water, was clinging to it for dear life.

Immediately reversing her trajectory, she flipped to her other side and reached out for the brambles, snagging herself onto them. It was thorny and cut up her hands, but it was sturdy enough to hold both her and Eric, and that's all that really mattered.

"Oh, thank God!" Eric yelled, removing a hand to reach out for her.

Ariel grabbed his hand to steady herself and to keep him secure.

"I was so worried about you!" she said, feeling herself near tears again. "But we can talk later, let's just get out!"

"I'm trying!" Eric insisted, trying to scoot along the bramble while still holding Ariel.

"Here, here." Ariel tried to tug her hand away, but he wouldn't let her go. "It's okay, I'm holding on very tightly. You can't climb with only one hand. The crabs are here-"

"The crabs?"

Ariel shook her head dismissively. That wasn't important now. "They'll help you out, and then they'll grab me."

"No, you get out first-"

"Eric, go! The longer you argue, the longer we'll both be in here. I've already been out of the water for a few minutes, and it's cold in here."

"But-"

"It doesn't make sense for me to climb over you just to get out first. We'll both be safe!"

Eric nodded, hesitating, but he let go of Ariel and started scooting to the side. The crabs grabbed the hems of his pants and the lose part of his shirt and helped tug him over to the bank. With one strong push, he was out of the water and rolled to his hip.

"Now scoot over, and I'll grab you once you're close." Eric shifted to his knees and held out his hand.

Ariel nodded, moving slowly. The crabs held her dress and the scooted only a few inches at a time, hoping that light hand placement would make the prickles hurt less. And she was almost close enough to grab Eric, when the brush gave way.

…

It was a beautiful summer day, and tomorrow was set to be one as well, so Carlotta sent most of the staff home for a small vacation. There were no dignitaries being hosted, no meetings for weeks, and the only guest was Ariel. While Carlotta was seeing how important this girl actually was, she didn't seem very fussy and would be able to be managed fine with an extra maid and Louie staying on to cook.

The castle had been through its overhaul spring cleaning months earlier, and that standard had been kept with weekly deep cleans – polishing, scrubbing, and beating of rugs. Carlotta did all she could to supervise, as it became more and more clear that she didn't need to pitch in. Eric only really wanted the castle absolutely spotless with events were being held, and Carlotta was confident he wouldn't mind if there was a day without dusting.

Family was more important, the most important, and giving the staff some unexpected time to spend with loved ones would be a benefit to all, and a booster to morale. And while Eric was still formally Carlotta's boss, their relationship was personal enough that she seldom felt the importance to ask his permission for anything. Preference, sometimes, but she knew him well and seldom had to ask him for desired colors of menus. He liked blue, and his favorite main course was steak and potatoes. He hardly even needed to pitch in on event planning anymore.

There'd be no one to stand attention at meals, there wouldn't be as many people ducking in and out of hallways and empty rooms, and the breakfast dishes might sit on the table a little bit longer. But Eric never really cared too much about the formality. He respected it, which is why he kept it up, but he felt no need for it. And, not to mention, he was so engrossed with Ariel that Carlotta doubted he'd even notice the presence of the staff was missing.

But Eric wasn't looking out for these sorts of changes as much as _Marcus_ was, for Eric had neither need nor desire to exploit them.

 **Review, please!**


	11. Spell: Confessions

Eric lunged forward right as the brush began to break and grabbed Ariel's hand, holding her as tightly as he could and tugging her towards the shore with all his might. The crabs grabbed the hem of her skirt and helped tug her over to the shore. Ariel used whatever force she could muster, and it was enough. Soon, her body touched shore once more and she was pulled atop it, panting.

"You're okay, you're okay." Eric said, assuring both her and himself. _She's fine. We both are._

Ariel was strangely silent, but her breathing was returning to normal.

Eric reached out and stroked her face. "It's fine. We're both fine. It was…quite a scare but-" he cut himself off for a dry laugh, but the humor or relief didn't seem to touch Ariel. "Ariel?"

"I think I'm cursed." She said, a hint of a waver in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Eric pressed, trying to pull her into a sitting position. "Your father turned you human – what motivation would he have to curse you?"

Ariel shook her head. "Not like that. It's just that…ever since I became human, things have been going wrong. I've never _not_ had control over my body, Eric. Swimming was so natural for me – and I was so fast! I could get anywhere, do anything…" she trailed off and looked down at the river. "And here I can't."

"Ariel," Eric said gently, grabbing her hand. "That river was terrifying, yes. But we're okay. I promise it won't happen again. I'll have the wagon fixed – no, a new one commissioned!"

"But that's not the only instance! I was afraid, yes, but my legs don't work like my fins at all! And when I first came here, I passed out only a few hours into my new life! I've stumbled up steps, I don't feel comfortable in water anymore, I'm-I'm." she took in a shuttering breath and turned back to Eric. "What if I'm not meant to be human?" Eric felt his face scrunch up in pain and she continued her explanation. "I want to be, I promise, but what if I keep getting hurt?"

This gave Eric pause. He wanted to assure he that nothing bad would ever, ever happen to her, but their adventures of the morning already proved that wrong. He wouldn't always be able to protect her from every negative thing in this world. He could try – and he would – but he didn't want to insult her intelligence by saying that she'd be safe from any harm.

"You probably will."

"Huh?" Ariel furrowed her brow. That certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"You'll stumble while you're still getting used to your legs, and human error is part of being human. But Ariel, look what you did. Any stumbling can be forgotten because we're both alive and well! The river swept you under, but you jumped back in."

"That wasn't brave. I had to save you."

"You give you instincts too little credit. Doing good without thinking is still bravery, and it's a bravery I am incredibly grateful for." Eric swept her hair behind her ear and let his hand linger on her cheek. "I will do my best to keep you safe, but when I fail, like today," Eric spoke bitterly for a second. "But if I fail again, I know you'll be able to take care of yourself. I'll teach you everything I know. I'll make sure you're strong, and I know it'll be easy because you already are."

Ariel smiled and found herself blushing. "You're right."

"Are you sure you want to be human?"

"More than anything." She swore.

"Good!" Eric beamed. "I don't want to lose you, not now, not ever. I love you, Ariel." Eric said. "I know it's soon, and I'm sorry if this is alarming to you, but I had to tell you. I absolutely love you."

Ariel gave him a soft smile. "Do you promise?"

"I do!" Eric insisted. "And I promise that this is my strongest promise, too."

"Can a promise be stronger than another if you mean all of them?" Ariel pushed.

Eric paused for a second, "Well, this one can."

Ariel giggled and let Eric pull her close to his chest. "I love you too."

Eric felt his heart swell and he swept Ariel up into his arms in hopes that weight of her body against his would keep his heart contained to his chest.

"I really, really do love you, Eric."

"I can't tell you how happy that makes me." Eric beamed, leaning in.

Nearly escaping death, the two took a moment to themselves and kissed, with all the reassurance that what they had, and what they wanted, made the perils worth it.

"I've got to keep you here, with me." He said. "We have to make your father understand."

"He'll be back at sunset, tomorrow." Ariel said with forlorn.

"I know." Eric said bitterly.

"Oh my goodness, the horse!" Ariel exclaimed, spinning suddenly to Eric and gasping.

Eric laughed. "I did forget about him – but it's fine. The horses are all very well trained. I doubt he'll have moved more than five feet from the bridge."

"Still, let's hurry. I completely forgot about him, the poor dear."

"Well, we have just been through a lot." Eric rationalized.

"That's true." Ariel allowed. "But let's walk and talk, anyway."

"Sounds fine to me!" Eric agreed.

"So, in order for me to stay human I need to convince my father that it'll be better for me." Ariel began. "But he doesn't like the idea of the human world, and he's very afraid of it. He was very against my coming here."

"But not against it enough to stop you from coming" Eric pointed out.

Ariel did pause at this – it must mean that her father was persuadable if she had persuaded him once. That was a silver lining she wasn't exactly expecting.

"So, what are his concerns?"

"That I won't be safe." Ariel responded.

"Well, then there's our plan!" Eric said. "We can show him the castle, let him see how safe everything is."

"But I'm not going to spend every minute of every day in the castle, Eric." Ariel sighed. "And you said so yourself, I'm bound to get hurt again. He's a smart man, he'll know that."

"Then we'll show him how you can pick yourself back up. And for what you can't do, I'll be here. Both of us will be more than successful at keeping you safe."

"Can we demonstrate this at all?" Ariel asked.

"I don't think so – anything impactful would be staged, anything actually dangerous would be foolish."

Ariel nodded – he was right. "Well, then I hope that it's enough."

Eric pulled Ariel in even tighter to his side, kissing her temple. "It'll have to be. He'll see how much I love you."

"Love will be enough." Ariel smiled, looking up at him. She broke eye contact at a slight whinny and yelled "Look! The horses!"

…

Tomorrow.

Marcus knew that was when he would strike against the Sorcerer, and finally defeat him. And when tomorrow came, he and Ariel would drink the love elixir and finally be plunged into the joy he had planned for them from their first meeting. They could be married soon, and no one was more excited for that than Marcus.

His potions were almost steeped. His heart was ready. He knew what a golden prince had to do.

Tomorrow he would strike.

…

The carriage was ruined, but Ariel and Eric were able to lead the horses back to the castle with great ease. However, Carlotta was not to let them continue in the same laid-back state.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed immediately upon sight of their soaking wet hair and clothes. "Did you fall in a river?"

In spite of the tragedy and trauma of the afternoon, Ariel couldn't stifle a giggle. "That's actually exactly what happened!"

"It was a complete accident, Lottie, I swear." Eric promised, opening his arms. "Here, let's hug and make up."

"Oh, don't come at me with those wet clothes!" Carlotta scolded, lightly swatting at Eric. "You'll get me all mussed up!"

"Oh, come on Lottie!" Eric said, mischief in his voice. "Just one hug? Don't you love me?"

"Yes, and that's just why both of you will get in the tub this instant!" Carlotta pushed Eric towards the downstairs bathroom with one finger, in order to minimize any wetness transferred over to her own person.

Eric and Ariel laughed. "Oh, we're sorry, Carlotta." Ariel said kindly. "He was only kidding."

"Yes, yes, I've heard it all. Both of you, tubs – stat!"

After the pair had freshened up and dried off, they met in a large parlor room for warm drinks and a stoked up fire. Carlotta had bustled in and out for the first twenty minutes, complaining about how they would surely catch cold, and just when she had sent everyone home, and who would make the tea, and who would send for the doctor, and she went on and on in such a fashion until Eric insisted that they were all fine, and that Carlotta should take the afternoon to herself and lie down.

Carlotta said she didn't much like the sound of that, with her not knowing how the two were doing and all, but she was easily persuaded and eventually went off to have a nap, leaving Ariel and Eric alone in the parlor.

"Imagine if this was a nightly thing." Eric said dreamily. "When it starts to get a bit late, we could just venture to a parlor or a library and just…spend time together like this."

"We can – we _will_." Ariel insisted firmly. "I'll be human soon – permanently – and then this can be our normal."

"Ariel, while I was bathing, I thought of something else." Eric said awkwardly.

"What?" Ariel pushed.

"It just…right now the most important thing in our lives is convincing your father that the right place for you to be is up here on land.

Ariel smiled at his use of 'our', and nodded.

"What if we really proved that here is the place for you to be?"

"Now you've confused me."

"Ariel," Eric stood and pulled Ariel out of her chair and into a standing position. He dipped down to one knee and looked up at her. "I want you to marry me."

Ariel gasped, and furrowed her brow. "Eric, no."

 **Review, please!**


	12. Spell: The Third Day

Marcus rolled one of the vials of potion around in his hand. He knew it wasn't the order of the story, and he had so hoped to revel in the moment he and Ariel consumed it together, but his attempt to use the sleeping potion had failed, so would it not make sense to use the only other potion that would give Ariel comfort? Even if it was early. The love potion would provide her with a warmth only his presence could duplicate, and it would be only kind of him to give it to her. It had been steeping for the needed hours, and in morning's light it was finally ready.

But he could not risk being spotted – he had already spent the past few days hiding from the sorcerer and all of his minions. Were he to directly approach Ariel, he would risk the sorcerer learning of his presence in the castle, and that simply would not do.

Sneaking down, he checked for the presence of any bodies, but was delighted to find no one roaming about the fortress – no guards. Marcus crept into the breakfast room, where the sorcerer had been dragging Ariel each morning for what Marcus was sure could be only a series of mental tortures. Their breakfast dishes were already set out – goblets full, covered dishes resting. They'd be down any minute. Marcus panicked at this realization, and opted to hide in a storage closet, where he could watch from a crack.

The whole point of the potion, besides, was to make the drinker fall passionately in love with the first person they saw – and if she had looked at the sorcerer! Marcus shuttered at the mere thought. He would wait until she was given a moment's respite, and then he would slip the potion into her drink. With the luck every noble mission needs, Marcus would be able to soothe his love, and get one step closer to winning her forever.

It would be soon, now, and while Marcus didn't want to wait, while he would much prefer to have run into the castle on day one and simple swept his red-haired princess up, that was not how the story went, so that was not what he would do.

…

Triton felt nervous, the same kind of nerves he felt before an important business meeting or big speech. But those nerves made sense – no matter how many times he spoke before crowds, they were still a little intimidating. That was normal. But today there would be no crowds, there would be only his daughter. And he still had all the power.

He was willing to be persuaded, of course, but were he not he could order Ariel to return home to the safety of Atlantica and that would be the end of it. That was their deal, and though Ariel was often flighty and forgetful, she didn't make promises she didn't mean. And he wouldn't let her forget about this one. Every element of it would be remembered and enforced.

But still, he worried, because although it was only a discussion with his daughter, it was the most important one of her life so far. Triton would have to be convinced that she would be safe, and that she would be happy. He was sure it would be easy for her to show him how happy she'd be; she had been speaking of the human world in fantastical wonder ever since she was a young mermaid. But safe…there the challenge laid.

Triton didn't trust humans, and he was confident that Ariel was aware of this fact. They were treacherous, killed for sport and gain, and had inflicted direct damage on both his family and his kingdom. For Ariel to be up there, alone, fighting her way through a foreign world…the three days had been packed with enough anxiety, Triton wasn't sure if he could spend the rest of his life worrying.

He wasn't sure how the rest of the day would progress – sunset was sure to bring interesting conversations. But until that time came, all he could do was wait.

…

Eric splashed cold water on his face. He had woken up a bit late, and figured properly washing up could be saved for later so that he could still make breakfast. It was no wonder he had overslept – he was up half the night, thinking.

Her 'no', though he now understood it, still hurt.

 _"No?" Eric stammered a little. He was nervous a bit beforehand, and he understood she had every ability and right to refuse, but that doesn't mean he expected her to._

 _Ariel seemed to recognize this, and launched immediately into an explanation. "I do love you, Eric. I promise."_

 _"I love you, too." Eric said, a little dryly._

 _"And that's why I don't want to get married this way – someday, I'd love to! If I can stay human, if I can stay here with you, then we'll be married. But I don't want our engagement to be out of desperation. I don't want you to only have proposed to me because you thought it was the only way to rescue me."_

 _"That's not-"_

 _"Poor word choice." Ariel waved her hands. "I know this wasn't a pity proposal or anything like that, but I'd rather our marriage be born only out of noble causes – that we marry when we're both safe, because we love each other. It's just not the same."_

 _"Okay." Eric nodded, settling back._

 _"I'm sorry." Ariel said meekly._

 _"Don't apologize." Eric shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong."_

 _"I just don't want to hurt you, ever. This, marriage, is just important to me. I only get to do it once, so I want to do it right."_

Eric pulled a linen shirt over his head. He loved her, and she loved him, and while that was all that truly mattered, it would've been nice to know that she'd be marrying him. He didn't mean to rush, but he figured it would be a two-birds-one-stone sort of solution; he would marry the girl he loved, and she'd be able to assure her father that she'd be safe.

Plus, then he could be sure he did _something_. Ever since Ariel had come here, she had stumbled across trouble, and he found that he was often little to no help. When she passed out during her first meal, he was not the one who thought of loosening her stays, and he was not even the one could help. While the latter aspect was out of propriety more than anything else, it was still Carlotta who knew how to help Ariel. When the two of them plunged into the river, he was not only unable to keep her safe, but it was she who had to save his life. While he was grateful, of course, he just wanted to be the one who made her feel safe. It was great she could stand on her own – but he still wanted to help.

Eric shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He was being stupid. He knew she didn't think less of him for his inability to save her, so why was he being so hard on himself? This was not a matter of principle, it was a matter of pride, and he was letting it get to his head.

Ariel loved him, and she was so close to getting to be human permanently. All that mattered is that he'd be able to marry her someday – it didn't have to be tomorrow. His pride would heal, their wedding day would come, and she was a girl worth waiting for, so he would wait.

…

Ariel slowly did up her stays, hoping that each poke and pull of ribbon would delay going down to breakfast. Last night was emotional, and while it had ended as well as it reasonably could've, she was still emotionally drained. She had tried so hard to get across that she did love Eric -without hesitation or qualification. The only issue was that she didn't want their marriage to be an act of desperation, rather than an act of love.

 _"I don't want you to take this as a rejection" Ariel sunk down to the ground to meet him, grabbing his hand. She felt relief when he didn't pull away, though she didn't know why she thought in the first place that he would._

 _"I mean," Eric laughed without humor. "it kind of is."_

 _"No, no!" Ariel pled. "It's not a 'no', it's a 'not yet'"_

 _"But I love you." Eric said. "I don't understand."_

 _"I love you, too. And we will be together. But that love doesn't become illegitimate if we just wait until we're free of pressure." Ariel smiled and scooted closer. "Just imagine how much nicer things will be when we can marry after having proper time to plan and make everything truly beautiful!"_

 _Eric did smile a little at this. "I'd have time to have a ship fitted out properly – if you'd like that."_

 _"I'd love it!" Ariel exclaimed sincerely. "We can talk about weddings and such, but I really don't think we should be married until the revocation of my humanity isn't quite…looming." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should take it one step at a time. I don't want this to be a marriage of desperation, or something we cram to fit in before my father drags me back to the sea. I want to marry you of completely free will, on our own timetable, in our own way. Because I love you."_

 _Eric seemed to let that soak in for a moment. "I love you too."_

Did she do the right thing? After all, she did love Eric, and who could really blame her if she did get married right away? He said he understood, and she didn't think he'd ever lie to her – especially about something as important as this – but what if this was a dealbreaker for him? What if he didn't want to wait, and wanted to get married right away? After all, he was a reigning prince. Maybe he wanted to become king, and if she didn't marry him, he would just find someone else.

Ariel shook her head in hopes that the insecurities would fall out with them. Eric would not fall out of love with her just because she needed to postpone the wedding – especially since she was so sure it was the right thing to do. While he did seem a little wounded, she was confident she had not killed his love for her, and hoped that they'd join together soon enough.

Though going to breakfast made her anxious, she knew it'd be worse if she stayed upstairs and stewed, so she went down to join the man she hoped to one day make her husband.

…

Breakfast was awkward, and a little tense, but with the easing of conversation and the silent understanding that there was only love and sincerity behind each party's motivation, the meal became more relaxed, and any leftover inelegance could be blamed on the fact that important decisions were coming at sundown.

"How are we going to handle this?" Eric asked. "Do you want to talk to your father alone, do you want me to be with you for all of it? Part of it?"

"What are you more comfortable with?" Ariel asked.

"I'm comfortable with anything." Eric nodded, taking a swig from his goblet. "Whatever you need from me, want from me, it's yours."

Ariel smiled. "I'd like you to be there with me, from the beginning. My father will be a little surprised, but it'll do him good to see once and for all that not all human are out to destroy the mer-people."

"I'm sorry he thinks that." Eric furrowed his brow. "Mermaid were always legends to us – to me, for sure. I never knew that we were hurting you."

"I know you didn't." Ariel said, trying to gloss over the topic. Now was not the time to get into her mother's death, the damage humans did to coral reefs, or anything else pressing. Too much was riding on today, the last thing she wanted was a debate. So she changed the topic. "What do you want to do today?"

"How about if we stick around the castle grounds, just so we can be sure that we're back at the beach by sunset? While I'm sure the odds have it so that we'd be able to get safely to and from town, I'd rather not risk it."

"Agreed!" Ariel nodded.

Eric drank deeply from his goblet and looked around for a maid, but none were in sight. "Carlotta mentioned in passing that she sent most of the staff home for a bit, but they don't seem to have the work dispersion down yet."

"It's not a big deal." Ariel shrugged, pushing her goblet towards him. "Just have a sip of mine."

"Thanks." Eric said, taking a small sip. "So, what if I showed you around properly? Gardens, beach caves, mazes. The whole shebang."

"Perfect!" Ariel rose from the table. "Let me freshen up just a little bit – I got dressed in kind of a hurry."

"Sounds good!" Eric smiled. "I'll actually do the same – I slept in a bit."

Eric left the room just a few steps after her, opening the door for her and headed down the way to his own room.

Ariel smiled at him quickly and scampered back off to her room. She'd be a few minutes at most – she just needed to fix her hair a little and make sure her dress looked fine. Ariel popped into her room quickly, shutting the door behind herself. Ariel took the comb to her bangs and used it and a little bit of spit to give them some shape. She had never had fully dry hair before her adventure up on land, and it was something she looked forward to getting used to.

"Such fair red hair, to frame such a beautiful face."

Ariel turned around sharply, and saw Marcus standing in her doorframe, on two legs. She gasped and dropped her comb, stumbling back into her dresser.

"My red-haired princess, be not afraid."

"Why are you – how are you?" Ariel tripped over her words and wished she was holding onto something more threatening than a comb. She pointed it at him anyway, hoping he'd get the idea.

Marcus chuckled a little. "I know you must be on edge. You've been through such an ordeal. But I'm going to save you."

"What do you mean?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're safe." Marcus said, stepping closer.

"Marcus," Ariel said defiantly. "What are you going to do? Tell me this instant!"

"Ariel," he dashed forward and enclosed her hands in his, smiling widely and toothily. "I will kill the sorcerer and you, my red-haired princess, will come back to the sea with me where we can spend our days in love!"

"Get _off_ of me!" Ariel screeched, ripping her hands from his and pushing him back.

Marcus found himself startled – he had held her hands, looked into her eyes. It had already been several minutes since she had seen him. Why was the potion not working? His statements should've filled her with joy!

"Something went wrong." He mumbled.

"Yeah – you! _Ugh_!" Ariel began to stomp towards the door. "Eric!-" she yelled, but was yanked back, hard.

"What's wrong with you?" Marcus demanded, his voice having only the afterthought of concern.

"Get off me – I hate you!" Ariel yelled angrily, pushing him back again.

"You don't understand!" Marcus said hysterically. "How do you not understand? You read the book – I gave you the book! You're supposed to understand!"

"Get out of my room!" Ariel yelled, pushing his shoulder with all her force. He stumbled back, but didn't fall as she would've liked.

"No, no. He did something to you. He cursed you, or traumatized you beyond reach of a potion." Marcus grabbed both her hands again. "I will fix this, I will fix this."

Ariel thrashed and kicked, but her legs were weak and she was small, and though she summoned all the force in her body – and landed a few good punches – it was not enough. Marcus shoved her into a bathroom and locked the door, pulling a chair up against the knob for good measure.

"I'll be back for you, my red haired princess. Once it's safe. I swear this oath to you." With that, Marcus pulled his sword and the death draught from his pocket. It would be enough, how he hoped, oh how he hoped it'd be enough.

…

Eric walked back into the dining room and saw that Ariel had not quite arrived yet. He strolled back over to the breakfast table and sat down, seeing how the dishes had not been cleared yet. Shrugging, he reached back over for Ariel's goblet and took a swig. He felt as though he didn't swallow it properly, and it sat like a coating on his throat. He cleared his throat a few times and thumped his own chest, but the juice just wouldn't go down.

He suddenly had a feeling of great congestion, like the juice had coated his throat and lungs and nose and brain and was squeezing, pressing in. He shook his head and grabbed his temple with his right hand, hoping this peculiar sensation would stop. Was he coming down with something?

Coughing a few times, he stood up from the table, hoping that walking a bit would clear him out.

"Sire, I am so sorry!" A maid apologized, scooting into the room. "I'm sure you understand how short staffed we've been, and it just took me a bit longer to finish cleaning the upstairs rooms. I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want excuses, I'll clear the table now-"

Eric looked up, and looked the maid straight in the eyes.

 **Review, please!**


	13. Spell: The Death Draught

The maid seemed to notice how tense Eric was, staring at her, unblinking. "You remember me, yes, sire? It's Bethany."

"I love Bethany." Eric whispered hoarsely.

The maid blinked rapidly and took a step closer to him, pointing at her own face. "Me?"

"Bethany." Eric said again.

The maid squealed and ran towards him, flinging her arms around him with such excitement that she didn't even notice that he didn't hug her back. Eric stood with his mouth partially open, mind racing. His throat seemed dry and he found that no matter what he was thinking, he couldn't speak his mind. He wriggled his arms and slipped out of the young maid's grasp, only mildly comforted by the fact that he still seemed to have control over his limbs.

He didn't love Bethany. He knew that. So why did he keep saying it? He swallowed a few times and attempted to tell her this. He would say 'I'm sorry, Bethany. I don't know why I keep saying that, but I don't love you.' It's not as if she could've fallen in love with him in the past two minutes, but he did very much hope she would understand that he wasn't just playing a joke on her. He swallowed again – his throat was so dry! – and spoke. "I'm sorry, Bethany. I don't know why I keep saying that, but I love you." Eric furrowed his brow. His voice didn't even sound like his own – too slow, too choppy. And he knew he had tried to say the 'don't'! It just didn't come out!

"Oh, you absolute dear!" Bethany squealed and beamed up at him. "You don't have to apologize! I love hearing it! I love you too, I love you too!"

Eric's stomach dropped. Uh oh. This was very bad. "Bethany. Bethany, you don't-I don't" he coughed and swallowed again.

"Oh, just wait until I tell my mother! And my sisters! You're a prince!" Bethany exclaimed, turning away from him and waving her hands. "Oh, they're going to be jealous!" she took a step, waving her pointer finger. "I had hoped something like this would happen, of course – what girl doesn't dream? The maid, scrubbing the fires until the prince discovers how lovely she truly is. It's the stuff of fairy tales!" she spun back to Eric, but her eyes flicked to right above him. She furrowed her brow and pointed. "Who is that?"

Eric had been barely listening, trying to figure out exactly what had just gone wrong. Just this morning, he was sitting with the love of his life, getting ready to talk to her father about her staying human. Now, he found himself unable to control his own body, grasping for control, and telling a stranger he loved her when he knew he didn't mean it. She might've been able to tell too, if she had looked at him properly. But even when she was finally facing him, she was looking over his head.

Eric turned around and saw a dark haired, shabbily-dressed man. He stood with a sword held proudly and improperly, legs spread and braced. He was grinning in a way that had only a hint of any sort of pleasure, and was dripping in malice. The stranger was an unwelcome change to an already stressful day. He swept the sword quickly, in a show of power, and spoke.

"Test me not with your tricks and schemes, sorcerer. I have come to kill you."

In a welcome change, Eric discovered that this time, he could say what he meant. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and said "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

…

Ariel wanted to run her shoulder into the door, bust it down with the sheer force of her anger. She felt as though she had it in her, and were the situation less dire, she may have done just that. But she knew her strength was not, well, physical strength. But just because she couldn't bust down doors or lift large weights over her head didn't mean she wasn't strong in other ways. She was clever, and quick, and she knew she could utilize these skills.

Unlocking the window, she stuck her head out. She was only on the second floor, but it still was a bit more of a drop than she was comfortable with. But, luck was finally with her, and a significant group of crabs scuttled into sight. She beamed and waved them over.

"I need help, please!" she cried. "I need to get down from her."

The crabs dispersed, and within mere minutes returned with supplies – bits of rope, part of a pole, yarn, as well as various other pieces of fabric and things that could be used for construction. The crabs scuttled up the side of the castle and handed off what Ariel asked for. Quickly tying knots, she was able to fashion a quick rope. She figured that even if she fell, she wouldn't get hurt too badly. So, the rope was more of a safety measure than anything.

Soon, she was out the window, dropping a few feet at a time. The rope unraveled and tore, but managed to hold until she was about five feet from the ground. A weak strip of fabric ripped with a cry and Ariel fell, legs splayed out. She hissed in pain, but got back up on her feet and started headed south for the nearest entrance. Most of the staff was familiar with her by now, but she still hoped there'd be no one there to stop her.

As Ariel was not specifically aware that the staff had been intentionally lightened, she had the pleasant surprise of seeing that there was no guard at the door to the ballroom, she threw it open and ran to the breakfast nook first. She was supposed to meet Eric there, and she needed to warn him that there was a madman in the castle.

…

Eric had little control over what he could say, but at least he had control over what he could do. He moved to the bottom of the staircase, looking up at the man who was now slowly advancing towards him, with strange potions strapped around his waist.

"You're a fool. A blind fool." The man paused halfway down the stairs, sword still taught, seemingly taunting Eric. "You have the most beautiful woman holed up in your castle, and you have yet to notice or appreciate her. I see you here, with an average maid. I've seen you with my red-haired princess, I've seen you towing her around the castle and the kingdom, taunting her with a freedom only I can give her. Keeping her from me. And now, you must be stopped."

"Who are you?" Eric asked, his alarm growing in tandem with his confusion.

The man grinned widely, as if he had been waiting for this question. "I am the Golden Prince. It is my duty, and my privilege, to protect the red-haired princess. You need not introduce yourself, sorcerer. I will plunge this sword into the heart of your villainy." With a piercing shriek, the man raised the sword above his head and ran down the flight of stairs, to where Eric was standing.

Eric took two steps back quickly, and as the man got within swinging distance, Eric swept his foot out and tripped him. The man fell face forward, allowing the sword to clatter from his hand and a few feet to his right. Eric swept it up quickly and pointed it properly at this strange intruder.

Bethany clapped her hands and jumped, thinking Eric was doing all of this to protect her, and her alone. "You're so brave!" she said, squealing.

Ariel burst through the doors, yelling "Eric!"

Eric spun around. Oh no. Not only was he under some sort of curse that was making him swear his love to another woman, but there was some sort of lunatic in here with clear intent to harm and that was the last type of person he needed to be around Ariel.

"Get out of here!" he yelled at Ariel, grateful that those words were at least permitted. He had yet to figure out what was wrong, or what the rules were of whatever hex or spell he was under, and now was not the time to puzzle through the nuances. He grabbed his head, which had just started spinning. Was the spell getting worse?

"Marcus, what are you doing!" Ariel demanded, ignoring Eric's plea and stomping up to the dark haired man.

"Do you know him?" Eric asked.

Marcus recovered from his fall, and wiped the running blood from his nose. "Give me my sword, or you'll regret what comes next!" he yelled at Eric.

"Marcus, I don't know what you think you're doing, but it's not gonna work." Ariel said, stepping closer. "Think about it – none of your plans have. Your plan to date me, your plan to lock me up. No matter what you do, it hasn't worked. And there's no reason for you to think that you could hurt Eric or I."

Marcus was looking at Ariel, but his facial expression did not change, and it seemed as if he didn't even register what she said. "This," he said, slowly pulling a vial from its holster. "will kill you, before you can even get close to me with that sword. It is a Death Draught, and you will perish before you can even take a step towards me." He uncorked the vial and gripped it firmly. "Now, drop your sword." He enunciated each word as if there was a period between them.

"You don't have to do this." Eric said calmly, diplomatically. He bent slowly, and placed his sword on the ground next to him. "Let's talk." _Hopefully I'll be able to say what I mean…_

"Return to me the red-haired princess." Marcus demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Eric said, never breaking eye contact.

"Then you must perish." Marcus said casually, as if taking a life was the easiest decision in the world.

Eric her a clanking and the scrape of metal, but before he could turn the side, Ariel had already stepped in front of him, holding the sword he had dropped.

"You won't do it. You won't get through me." Ariel said angrily, pointing the sword at Marcus. "I know you can't kill me, and I won't let you hurt him."

Marcus' face fell at this. "My red-haired princess, I don't want to hurt you."

"You already have!"

"I have good aim, I can throw this and only hit the sorcerer, I won't hurt you." Marcus held up the vial, his hand just slightly shaking.

"Take one step and I'll strike you." Ariel held up the sword defiantly.

"I'm going to do it." Marcus raised the vial higher. "I swear I will."

"You know you can't hit him without missing me." Ariel stood, planted.

"Eric, my love, look out!" Bethany ran, sprinting, and collided with Eric, knocking him to the ground. She rolled off of him, saying. "We have to go!"

Eric moved to stand as quickly as he could, but Marcus took his window of opportunity, and flung the Death Draught upon Eric, soaking him with the potion.

 **Review, please!**


	14. Spell: The Potions

Eric cried out and fell back as the potion hit him, his mind awash in panic. What could be done? He sought out a sensation – a burning perhaps, but something to signal to him that the Death Draught was beginning it's fateful, cruel work.

"Eric!" Ariel, still holding the sword, forewent her defensive stance in favor of dropping to his side. "Oh no, oh no! Where does it hurt? How can I help?"

Bethany too came sprinting over, grabbing his head in her hands. "My sweet prince!" she exclaimed.

Eric sat there in shock, waiting for something to seize upon his body. But it didn't. He pushed Bethany's hands off his face and sat up, turning over to look at Marcus.

"It's…it's not working." Eric said, barely confident in his own words.

Marcus could've played it off. He could've assured the sorcerer he'd be dead within the hour. But, to the best of Marcus' knowledge, it should've worked. The sorcerer should've been lying there, dead as a doornail. His red-haired princess in his arms. Both of them, returning to the sea. He would complete the Sea Witch's instructions, and all would finally be golden and shining, as he knew it should be.

"It reeks." Eric picked up his shirt collar and sniffed it. "But I don't think it'll kill me."

"I…I mixed every poison in the castle…every putrid thing I could find…" Marcus said, his mouth agape.

Eric laughed at this, half out of humor, half out of relief. "If I had drank it maybe I'd be in trouble. But not, only you are." Eric ran at him and tackled Marcus, flipping him over and pinning his hands.

"I'll get the guards." Ariel picked up her skirts and ran off, calling out for help and growing frustrated when her cries were not instantly answered. Wasn't this what they were for?

Eventually, a young man ran out, armed, and looking both panicked and ashamed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"There's been an intruder!" Ariel ran just ahead of him, leading the way and revealing the scene almost just how she had left it.

The guard was quickly followed in by another who had also heard the late-morning clamor, and the two men were able to easily drag away a defeated Marcus. Ariel watched as he was dragged…she wasn't even fully sure where. She had gotten so caught up she forgot to ask. It didn't matter.

She spun around to see Eric; she was ready to explain everything and right it all before this evening, because there could be nothing on the table when her father was to come. She and Eric had to be as solid as possible, or else who knows what would happen? But, to her surprise, Eric was not just behind her, but rather being cornered by the same maid who had referred to him as her 'sweet prince'. She grabbed his hands and though he dropped them, he looked sheepish and did not look Ariel in the eye.

"Eric, what's going on?" Ariel asked, stepping closely to him and pushing her bangs out of her face.

"He loves me!" the maid exclaimed, before Eric could get a word out.

Confused and in total disbelief, Ariel turned to Eric. "What?"

In a monotone voice, Eric said. "I love Bethany." He grimaced and looked away from Ariel, guilt overwhelming him.

"Oh, say it again, say it again!" the maid bounced, blonde hair flopping.

In a quiet, monotone voice, almost a hoarse whisper, Eric said. "I love Bethany."

"Oh, isn't it lovely? I've been working here for years, hoping he'd notice me like this. A prince – my family will be in hysterics! Oh, my sister will just die!" Bethany gushed to Ariel, either unaware of uncaring of how the red-haired princess' heart was breaking.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about her?"

"Maybe he was just trying to be nice. You did just arrive, after all." Bethany interjected.

"No," Eric said feebly, still unable to look right at Ariel.

"I've been working here for years – since I was fourteen, actually," Bethany prattled off. "Of course he's handsome and of _course_ he's royalty – what girl wouldn't be interested? I may have flirted where I could, but there are risks that come with doing so and I always intended to be careful. I wasn't going to lose my job over an unrequited love! But now that I know he loves _me_ , now that he's said it…"

"You don't love me then, do you?" Ariel said softly.

"I-I" Eric screwed up his face and seemed to catch himself. "I love Bethany."

Ariel felt her face drop. "So I see." She flicked her eyes back up at him again. "Do you promise?"

A crab, one of Ariel's protectors, scruttled up and pinched Eric on the back of the leg.

"OW!" Eric exclaimed, hopping.

"Ariel, no!" he said with sudden fervor, grabbing her hands, holding them a little more tightly than he needed to.

Ariel threw down his hands and turned away, to hide the tears in her eyes. How could everything have fallen apart so quickly? She ran from the room and to the sea. She needed to think.

…

Ariel ran with a speed that fresh legs seldom had. She reached the beach, where the water touched the shoreline and ran down, down, down the side of it in hopes that she could reach that sweet spot of reality where she was cognizant enough to thing, to find solutions, but where the rest of the world could be shunned, if only for a few moments.

When she found herself coming short of breath, she sat down on the beach and pulled off her shoes. She stuck her feet the water, closed her eyes, and laid back. None of this made sense, and it made her doubt the whole scene. Eric had promised her that he loved her and, more importantly, he had shown her how much he meant it over the past few days. She had no reason to doubt him – up until that last interaction. Could it all really just have been a lie?

But, despite it all, despite the heaviness in her chest or the doubt in her mind, she wasn't willing to retreat from her humanity. Her feet in the ocean felt right; not the contact of her body with the water, but the fact that she had feet to dip.

She loved Eric, and she was sure of that. She was confident she would love him forever, even if he only had feelings for that other woman. But as much as she loved Eric, more than she loved Eric, she loved herself. As she was, in this moment. Ariel knew that it was most important that she stayed human.

Yes, she had run through potential speeches to give to her father, and all of them had involved how happy she was with Eric, and how he would be a vital part of keeping her happy in this new human life. She had meant every rehearsal. But if Eric didn't love her the way she loved him, she could still be safe, happy, and human, right?

Maybe she wasn't fully sure. But she still felt dedicated to trying. A chance at humanity was better than throwing it away in order to return to the safety of her home. If she had to, and it seemed that she would, she would meet her father by herself, and convince him on her own.

Broken hearts could be fixed or, at worst, ignored. Lost chances were not so easily recovered.

…

Eric pulled away from Bethany instantly, moving to chase after Ariel.

"My prince!" Bethany grabbed his sleeve and tugged him back with all her force. "Why are you going after her? You just said you love me."

"I-" Eric coughed, choosing the once more leave himself in neutrality than say he loved Bethany. He couldn't say that he loved Ariel, this hex or whatever it was wouldn't let him. But he had control of his body. He seemed to now be able to stop himself from saying the cursed sentence 'I love Bethany'. He just couldn't say the truth.

"Please," Eric said, his voice more pleading than he wanted it to be. _Just let me go. I don't want to hurt you either, but I_ _ **can't**_ _hurt Ariel. I have to find her. Before this all somehow gets worse. Before I ruin everything. Before this curse does._

"We have so much to discuss, besides." Bethany looked away from him again, getting swept up in her own grandeur. "I'll go home tonight to tell my family-"

"No!" Eric said firmly.

"Why not?" Bethany challenged. "You do love me, don't you? Say it again." She put her free hand on her hip and stared up at him.

Eric had a small realization – that he did have full control over his body. He vigorously shook his head no, broke from her grip, and ran outside, hoping to catch up to Ariel before she could get too far away. Or worse, before he would lose her forever.

…

"Ariel!"

She sat up at the sound of her voice, rising to her feet. She would run again if she had to. If he tried to lie to her, or convince her to stay as some sort of…she didn't finish that thought. She didn't have the malice to think falsely ill of him.

"Ariel, please wait." Eric skidded to a stop in front of her, relieved that, if nothing else, at least she wasn't actively running from him. That had to be a good sign. He so hoped that it was.

"Why?" she said bitterly. "Wanted to waste the rest of my time here?" She didn't mean that, but he had hurt her, and she wanted him to be hurt as well. She only regretted saying it a little.

Eric froze a little, unsure of whether to approach her or not. "I'm so sorry. For…everything."

"For what?"

"For saying…I love Bethany." He hated how easily the last three words came out, like he was throwing them up.

"You should say it if it's true." Ariel spat.

"It's…" Eric shook his head vigorously again.

Ariel just huffed and crossed her arms, looking away.

Eric shook his head and grabbed at his temples, exhaling deeply. "I'm so foggy, Ariel, I'm so

sorry. I don't know what's going on. But you can't leave like this."

"Like what?"

"Thinking I don't love you!"

"You said so yourself – you love Bethany!"

"I don't know why I said that!"

"Tell me you don't love her. Just say it."

"I can't!" Eric pled.

Ariel scoffed and looked away.

"You don't understand – I literally can't. I want to, I swear it! But my voice gets all clogged up and whatever words I mean to say come out differently. My throat has been less…less dry since that crab pinched me – but my ankle has hurt more-"

"Well then let's get more crabs!" Ariel said, bitterly. Why was he mocking her? "Crabs!" she cried out, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Come pinch Eric!"

At the sound of one hundred scuttles, Eric found himself speaking quickly. "I don't know what happened. Everything was fine this morning! But I went to go get cleaned up and from some point on I was hexed, or cursed, or something – I don't know how, or why – and now I keep swearing that I love Bethany but I-" his voice choked again and he started coughing violently.

The crabs swarmed around Ariel and Eric. Ariel waved her hand a little, signaling that she didn't actually want them to hurt Eric.

"Please don't go back to the sea." Eric said, pleading. He reached out to grab her hand and while she didn't grip it back, she didn't reject the affection, and that was a start. "I don't know how to explain, I don't know how to make it up to you. But please let me try."

"I'm not going back to the sea, Eric." She said softly. "I can't be anything but human. I know that now. But I won't stay here. You won't see me again."

The sharp pain of her words cut through Eric. He would never see her again.

"Don't go." He said firmly.

"I said I wasn't. I'm staying human."

"I want you to be human, Ariel. I want you to have everything you want. But, I don't think-OW!" a rogue crab pinched Eric. "I don't think I can live without you." He rubbed his thigh, but still smiled. His throat wasn't dry. It didn't catch him. He wasn't sure he'd get away with that sentence.

Ariel looked at him, then down at the sand.

"Just say it."

"I promise," Eric said, with as much meaning as when he had first promised that he loved her. _You won't see me again, you won't see me again, you won't see me again_. Each time it flashed through his mind, it hurt just as much as before. He coughed, and said "I love you, Ariel. I promise."

…

She was moved by his sincerity, but still doubted his story. She hadn't agreed to stay, but she was convinced to come back to the castle.

Eric swore up and down, left and right, inside and out, that he was cursed and that it had somehow been broken. Maybe when he took her hand. Maybe just because he loved her so much. Maybe it wore off in time. He didn't know, and he wasn't sure he'd ever know, but he didn't doubt that he had, in fact, been cursed in the first place.

And, despite her reciprocation, he ventured to assure Ariel of his love.

"I love you. I promise. I do not love Bethany. I love you, Ariel. Only you, Ariel."

Ariel rolled her eyes at times, but she always had a hint of a smile on her face. Halfway through their walk back, she took Eric's hand.

When they had almost stepped through the castle, Ariel froze and jerked Eric back with her.

"What is it?" Eric asked.

"Marcus." She snarled.

"Don't worry," Eric said. "he was taken away by guards – I'm sure they're seeing that he's causing no more trouble. His potion didn't work on me. Everything's fine. Every plan of his failed."

"No," Ariel said, turning to look at Eric. "his _death draught_ didn't work. What if he had another potion that he somehow fed you? The one that made you act strangely towards the maid?"

Eric was hit with conflicting emotions – on one hand, the idea that someone had been able to poison him with some potion was terrifying. The fact that he drank some strange concoction without any idea of what it was equally scary. But Ariel believed what he swore to her – she sincerely thought that he had fallen under some sort of curse – and he had!

"You might be right." He nodded.

"Where is he being kept?" Ariel demanded, pushing open the doors. "I want to see him. Now. He better tell me everything."

They were not three steps into the building, when Bethany came bouncing out. "There you are!" she beamed, but as soon as she saw that Eric had brought Ariel back with him, her smile fell.

"Bethany, I'm sorry." Eric said, his voice as serious as he could make it. "This has been a confusing day for you, I'm sure."

"Oh, Eric. I don't need to understand anything other than that you love me, and that we'll be married. Soon." She gave Ariel a once-over. "You can explain why you darted away later, once she's gone home."

Eric sighed, not sure of how to put this kindly, but determined to try his best. "Something went wrong this morning, Bethany. I don't know exactly how, or why, but I know it happened. There was some sort of curse, hex, or potion, and it messed with my voice. They're easily trifled with, you know."

"What are you saying?" Bethany furrowed her brow.

"I don't love you, Bethany. I'm sorry that I said that I did. I never meant it, and my only joy from this situation is that an end could be put to it quickly."

Bethany's breathing sped up, and none of the three were sure if she was about to yell or cry. "I resign." She spat, tearing off her apron and throwing it at Eric's head. She picked up her skirts and ran from the hall, a sob tearing from her throat before the door slammed behind her.

"I'm sorry," Eric said, to Bethany, to Ariel.

"I don't think you had other options." Ariel said sincerely.

"I really didn't." Eric mumbled. "Still doesn't make me feel good about hurting her."

"I guess I'd be more concerned if it did." Ariel took his hand again and squeezed it. "Now," she said, all determination returning. "let's go see Marcus."

…

He was kept in one of three jail cells beneath the castle. They were used more in earlier regimes, when unrest and political upheaval were more common. Should anyone impose on the castle or make an attempt on the crown, they were brought here where they could be more heavily supervised. Eric wasn't sure if he was comfortable with keeping Marcus there long term but, for the next bit of time, it would do.

"Your highness!" a guard saluted, standing at attention.

"Very strange to see you down here, sire, but welcome." Another said, saluting as well.

Eric gave them both curt nods, and asked for privacy. The two guards were a bit confused, but if there was anyone they couldn't ignore an order from, it was Eric. They left, assuring the prince that they'd be right outside if anything should go wrong.

"Leave the keys, please." Eric said instinctually, not fully sure why he asked for them.

The head guard pulled them from his pocket and placed them in Eric's palm, exiting promptly after.

"My red-haired princess." Marcus beamed, pulling himself up to a full standing position and pushing his dark hair back. "You look enchanting as ever. I'm so glad you've come to find me. Let us-"

"Neither of you will be doing anything together." Eric snapped.

"That's not why we're here." Ariel said curtly, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "We need to know what you've done."

"I've come to rescue you, my sweet." Marcus reached a hand out through the bars of the jail cell and though Ariel was not close enough to be touched by him, she still instinctually took a step back.

"You most certainly didn't-" Eric began, his voice raising.

Ariel squeezed his hand and let go. At her pressure, he stopped talking and Ariel stepped forward. "And," she cooed, smiling a little and looking Marcus in the eye. "I'd like to know exactly what your plan was."

"Oh, my dear, dear red-haired princess. You already do."

Ariel furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"The book, the book! I gave it to you – you read it, yes?"

Ariel nodded, still confused. "Yes I did."

"You must read it again when we return to Atlantica. You're supposed to understand, I just feel like you don't understand!"

"Understand what!?"

"That I am your golden prince, my red-haired princess." Marcus said excitedly. "I did it all! Just as instructed! I turned myself human. I tried to put you under a sleeping spell to protect you, I threw Eric from the carriage, I brewed the death draught and the love potion. I put it in your glass, red-haired princess. I did it to protect you. Come, come closer, look me in the eyes. I know you have to understand." Marcus said, rambling.

"When did you give me a love potion?" Ariel said slowly, separating each word.

"I put it in your breakfast goblet. I waited, I waited, I waited in the closet for the sorcerer to leave and I just knew that the forces of nobility would allow me to complete my mission."

Eric went white and gave Ariel's hand a little tug. "I drank from your goblet." He murmured, quietly enough that only Ariel could here.

Ariel nodded slowly, horrified. He had been on land as long as she had. He had followed her around, watching her. While she was eating breakfast, he was hiding somewhere nearby. She hadn't seen him until today. She didn't know how many events of the past couple of days had involved him watching her, manipulating the situation. He had wrecked Eric's carriage – he was the reason why she and Eric were thrown from the bridge and into the river. He was the reason they each had almost died.

He was not the harmless, lovestruck boy her family had tried to convince her of. Ariel knew she didn't like him beforehand, and now she knew she despised him.

"Here's what you're going to do-" Ariel said firmly, angrily.

"Anything, anything for you." Marcus interrupted her, pressing himself up against the bars.

Ariel was still so unsettled by his unwavering commitment to what he thought she wanted. "You're going to come with Eric and I-" she became unsettled when she saw how Marcus immediately glared at Eric. "And you're going to tell my father everything you just told us."

"You're ready for me to meet your father formally." Marcus beamed, smiling. "I love you, my red-haired princess. You know that, right?"

Ariel couldn't bring herself to answer, but she felt as though he wasn't even referring to her. She took Eric's hand and, with a few convincing tugs, dragged him out of the jail cells and back upstairs, where the sun was beginning its descent in the sky.

 **Review, please!**


	15. Spell: Arrival and Departure

Eric was livid, seething. He didn't know how to put words to it, and settled for saying nothing at all. He held Ariel's hand silently as they climbed up the steps back to the main level, and he wasn't sure what was to be done next. The sun was beginning to set – her father would be here soon, and he could not present himself in this state.

This had all happened under his nose. Why even bother to have security? Why bother with anything when it was doomed to be completely ineffective? If he couldn't protect Ariel, then he might as well fire them all this minute. Marcus had followed them around, intervened on each of their days and adventures, and almost gotten them both killed. Eric could've prevented all of it. It was Marcus' fault, of course, but Eric couldn't stop the guilt from coming in waves that ebbed to reveal only anger.

He didn't know what to do with him – he was too angry to think clearly. But he'd think of something. Whatever was right…it would present itself in the right moment.

"We don't have much time left before Daddy comes." Ariel said, the anger in her voice also clearly apparent.

"I know." Eric said, afraid to say too much, lest his anger come spilling out. He didn't want to rant, not now. He would process his emotions, later. Slowly. Properly.

The two walked silently down to the beach, where Ariel inhaled deeply and fell back on the sand. "I'm just so _angry_!" she said, tears springing to her eyes. "He tried to ruin everything – and for what! We never dated, I never showed interest in him! I told him no at every possible turn! How could he justify doing this!" she exhaled and continued. "And even if I had dated him, even if we were engaged, damn it, this behavior would still be unacceptable! Who _does_ this?"

"Don't blame yourself." Eric said quickly. "It didn't matter to him what you wanted. For whatever reason, he decided that his twisted feelings for you mattered than anything you actually would've desired to happen. I don't understand, and I'm glad I don't, frankly."

"It's just…could I have stopped this?" Ariel paused and ran her fingers through her hair. "My sisters talked me into seeing him, sometimes. I never kissed him or expressed any emotions towards him beyond tepid annoyance…but was this my fault?"

"No." Eric firmly assured her. "I know blaming yourself seems natural because his behavior is so beyond the realm of decency that there has to be some explanation, but you didn't ask him to come here, you didn't tell him to craft those potions. You didn't want this to happen. He is the only one to blame, and he needs to take that responsibility."

"You're right." Ariel sat up and furrowed her brow. "It's just…everything he did was so destructive, and I feel like I have to fix it! He almost killed us both with that carriage, and he meant to kill you with that flimsy potion."

Eric didn't like remembering that.

"He's a terrible person." Eric spat, kicking some sand and dropping down beside Ariel. "I wish I knew what to do with him. I want to kill him – but I'm afraid that'll just make me no better than him."

"What's right…" Ariel let her phrase trail off. "I don't know what to do either, Eric. But I know I have to stay human. Before we figure out anything else, I have to talk to my father. I'll explain everything to him – what happened over the three days, how important this is to me, what Marcus did-"

"That's something!" Eric said, sitting up a little straighter.

"You've explained that you worry about what you say not being enough – what if we made Marcus confess everything he did? To show your resiliency, to show that you can handle anything, even someone as screwed up as him. That you can handle being human."

"He's caused so many problems, it's about time he fixed one." Ariel thought for a second. "Do you still have the keys to the jail cell?"

Eric felt them in his pocket. "Yes."

"Go get him. We can put him in one of the beach caves so he can't run. Quickly, the sun is setting."

…

The sun continued to dip, to the point where it seemed held up precariously in the sky by but a string, ready to snap at any moment. King Triton would be coming soon. Ariel and Eric were ready, or as ready as anyone could be in a situation so foreign yet so pressing. Ariel could be comforted by little in a situation filled with so much ambiguity, the now-familiar scuttle of dozens of crabs did bring a smile to her face, though only for a moment. The little crabs surrounded her and Eric, and one clacked a claw up at Eric in a menacing way, reminding the boy that he had not forgotten the transgressions of the morning. Eric mouthed an apology, but he wasn't sure if any explanation would be understood by the crabs – of, if understood, sufficient.

Ariel nudged Eric when the water began to bubble in front of her; an abnormality in such shallow water, and a clear indicator that King Triton was finally arriving. Within seconds, he appeared, bursting forth.

"My sweet daughter" he said, swimming as closely as he could. "I've missed you so much."

"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed, wading into the water to hug him.

"Are you okay? Did the crabs help? Is everything fine."

Ariel smiled. "It's been an eventful few days, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I'm perfectly all right. The crabs were wonderful."

"And..who is he?" Triton raised his eyebrows and zeroed in on Eric.

"This is Prince Eric, Daddy." Ariel turned back and Eric waded in as well to shake Triton's hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Eric said respectfully.

"When did you come into the picture?" Triton asked, still glaring a bit, but Ariel waved her hands.

"I want to tell you the whole story – the whole, whole story. You can ask me any questions if I don't make anything clear enough, but a lot has happened over these three days."

Triton exhaled and nodded. "I'll listen."

Daddy," Ariel inhaled and began. "I'm going to tell you the full story, because it's all important. And this story…starts with Marcus."

"With Marcus?" Triton asked, confused. "Ariel, must we go through this again?"

"Yes, Daddy, because it's about my instincts, and I want you to know my instincts are good."

Triton nodded with a twinge of disbelief, but let her continue.

"I couldn't tell you the exact reason why I disliked Marcus when you asked. I didn't know how to articulate it. But I knew I didn't. And I know now that he's followed me here, and tried to sabotage my first true human experience."

"What?" Triton exclaimed.

With that, Eric took a few steps over to a cave and dragged the still-bound Marcus out. "He'll be sent to more appropriate conditions soon enough." Eric sneered, out of a mix of anger towards Marcus, and regret that Marcus' actions forced Eric to cause Ariel pain.

Marcus looked at the ground, saying nothing. But it was clearly him.

"How did he-" Triton began, but Ariel held up her hand.

"Please, just let me speak. But I knew he didn't love me the way you and the girls thought he did. And he doesn't. These past few days haven't been easy – I've gotten into accidents, I've gotten hurt emotionally and physically, but I love being human, Daddy. I love it. And I'm here in front of you, in one piece, because I have the instincts to be a human, and whatever trouble I may find myself in, I can get myself out."

Triton was pondering, his face a true neutral.

"And, Daddy, I want to introduce you to Eric, properly. I had met him before I came human, and he's part of the reason why I am safe and well today."

"How did you-" Triton began, but Ariel cut him off again.

"This is my first time being human, but not to the surface. I know you know that, and I want to be sure you know it was never out of disrespect to you, just my own knowledge that this," Ariel threw out her arms. " _this_ is where I'm meant to be." She lowered her arms and looked back over at Eric. "I love him."

Eric smiled, grinning as widely as when he heard it the first time.

"And I know he loves me too." Ariel looked back at her father. "But, I know I love being human more. If I couldn't have Eric, I'd still want my humanity. I wouldn't want it any less. It would be missing a huge part of what makes living up on this world so great, but I wouldn't want to give up living as a human just in hopes of finding love beneath the seas. I know this."

"I won't dishonor you by lying," Eric began, taking a step closer to Triton. "I know I can't keep her safe from everything, and that very thought hurts me. If I could, I'd keep her safe forever. But, for whatever I lack, she more than compensates. She has defended herself, saved herself, and saved me. She's outsmarted others, fought with strength beyond her physical size, and accepted and loved me…even when I failed her. She's the best woman I've ever met, sir, and this world would suffer a great loss without her in it."

"And – to show this and to affirm my story, I want Marcus to tell you himself what happened." Ariel said crossly, looking at the slumped over Marcus, who had yet to speak.

"My red-haired princess-"

"Call me my name!" Ariel snapped at him, folding her arms.

Marcus furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

Ariel sighed and shook her head. "Marcus, why did you come here?"

"Because, my sweet, sweet-" he gulped, and didn't finish that sentence. "It is my job to protect you. To make you happy, and safe. And the human world is not the place for you. I knew you were taken by this sorcerer, and it was my job to slay him, and to return you home."

Ariel felt her anger bubbling up again, and hoped to contain it for just a bit, just enough to get her father's approval to stay on land.

"What did you do to Eric's carriage?"

"I ruined it, so the wheels would pop off, making it impossible for the Sorcerer to flee with you."

"What did you do to Eric?"

"The sorcerer." Marcus said, confusion in his voice.

Ariel looped her arm through Eric's, as Eric still held Marcus up, as he was a man so emotionally defeated his depression sucked out his physical strength, and he did not stand on his own.

"Call him Eric. That is his name." Ariel instructed.

"Marcus," Triton said, a look on his face of such horror and astonishment, Ariel could see that he sincerely thought Marcus was a good man up until this moment. "What did you do?"

"I had to **kill** _him_!" Marcus yelled, thrashing suddenly. "How do you all not understand? Why am I the only one who understands?!" he jerked sharply and pressed as much of himself to Ariel as he could. "I love you, how do you not see that? I would do anything for you! I rejected my merform to save you, I crossed new worlds, I became a potion master. I sabotaged the sorcerer at every turn! For you, for you, for you! This wasn't how it was supposed to go – you were hesitant at first, and I knew that! But that's why – that's why I gave you the book! Tell me you read it, tell me you understand!"

"Marcus…" Ariel trailed off. "I am not a storybook." She shook her head at looked over at her father, who was just as stunned as before.

"How did you become human?" Triton asked Marcus, and only then did Ariel realize she did not actually know.

"I went to the sea witch – illegal, I know!" he never broke from his constant contact with Ariel. "But I was willing to do it for you, anything, anything for you. I risked it all – I need only one kiss. One kiss I knew I would get, because I am your Golden Prince. In exchange, I only had to help her get-get something. I don't recall what. She will remind me. Just kiss me." He lurched forward and knocked Ariel back as Eric fought to wrestle Marcus back to the ground, checking to ensure that his ropes were still tight. Marcus burst into tears and buried his face in the sand.

"Take him away, please." Ariel asked, stepping back from Marcus. Eric nodded and dragged him the few feet to the cave. Marcus had stopped crying, and stared blankly at the cave wall, motionless. Silent.

Eric rejoined Ariel, and they turned to face King Triton once more. Marcus had confessed everything, Ariel had explained her story, Eric had assured his love and protection. There was nothing else to be done. Either Triton would accept the story, or he would not.

Triton looked forlorn. "So…you really are happy here?" he flicked his eyes up to meet Ariel's.

"I'm so happy, Daddy." Ariel said, intertwining her arm with Eric's. "Because I know that no matter what happens to me, here, I can be happy again. This is where I belong. I know that. I think we always have. I've seen so many wonderful things, and had more new experiences in these few days than I have had in my whole life under the sea. And look at me. I'm safe. I'm happy. I feel like I've been through the full emotional spectrum time and again while I was here, but it only affirmed that this is the place for me."

"Ariel…" Triton wanted to agree. He could see that it was right. He knew he had promised. But he was still scared – for all of the boy's good actions and words, it had still only been a few days. How could she know that humanity, and this boy, were right for her so soon? And while Ariel had sworn that her instincts were right, and shown him so much of what had happened, he still worried for her. He maybe always would worry for her. So, he looked back up at his hopeful young daughter. "Ariel, no."

"W-what?" Ariel choked. "Daddy-!"

"You're safer as a mermaid." Triton couldn't even look her in the eye as he spoke. He didn't want to see how upset she was. He could only hope she would one day forgive him.

"Then change me." Eric spoke quickly, taking a quick step forward. "Please."

"Change you into what?" Triton asked.

"A mermaid. Merman, actually. I like my gender." Eric jabbed at an attempt at a joke, but it fell flat.

Ariel was stunned. "You would do that?"

"You were willing to change so much of your life for me, and I love you enough to do the same for you." Eric said curtly.

"But your kingdom…you're the prince. You're the ruler."

"That will be harder to work out, but I'll do so. Give me a bit of time, I'll do it as quickly as possible, and then change us then." He took Ariel's hand and looked King Triton in the eye. "Please."

"Well, that I suppose would be fine, if you really love her that much."

"I do." Eric swore.

"No!" Ariel interjected. "Daddy, please, see reason. I love Eric, yes, but I already told you that my humanity is everything to me. I want to spend forever with Eric, but I want to do it as a human."

Triton knew she was right – and he was sure that she wasn't arguing for her humanity only to be with this man. "I'm…not ready to let you go." He said truthfully.

Ariel went back into the water and sat next to her father, not minding that she was soaking her dress through. The water was still naturally warm to her. "But I'm ready to leave." She said quietly, pleadingly. "This is not a good bye, I will still see you! The very fact that you're here now proves that it can be done. I don't mean to never go in the water again, the ocean is one of my favorite places to be. It's just not my home." She wrapped her arms around her father and the two sat there silently for a moment.

"I think you're right." Triton said, bittersweet. "Ariel, my youngest daughter, would you like to stay here?"

"Oh, please! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ariel exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes.

"I want to get your sisters," Triton said as the sun. "I want them to be able to see you" he hugged his youngest daughter again and waved a bit before he dove beneath the waves. The crabs followed him, a few waving goodbye.

…

Three were left on the beach.

"Can you…can you get him back out again." Ariel asked, jerking her chin towards the cave Marcus rested on the edge of.

Eric all but physically dragged him out, as Marcus was so stagnant and slow that he barely had the self-awareness to place one foot in front of the other.

"It's all over, isn't it?" Marcus said, not closing his mouth after he was finished talking. Ariel wasn't sure if he was even able to.

"I hope so." Ariel said sincerely.

"I really thought I could do this. Ever since I was a little boy. It just…it made so much sense. Every part of it. And each step came so easily. I went with my guts…my instincts." Marcus shook his head. "I knew I had to leave my kingdom – because you weren't there. I knew when I saw you that you were the one. You became my everything, so quickly." He never looked at Ariel once. "The way you dressed, the way you moved. You were the red-haired princess, I was sure…so sure." He moved a little, feebly. "Please untie me." He asked helplessly.

"Don't think for a damn second that we're gonna-" Eric said hotly, but Ariel grabbed his arm.

"Okay." Ariel said, to the surprise of both men. She stooped down and unbound his hands, stepping back.

Marcus did not jump up, he did not launch into some terrible scheme he had been waiting to impart at the nearest moment. He pulled his hands in front of him and rubbed his wrists, not even looking up at Eric and Ariel.

"I don't know what's going to happen to me." He said quietly. "If I failed, then I would become property of the Sea Witch. I don't know what that means. I was foolish to agree so quickly."

Ariel, despite all odds and logic, was starting to feel bad for Marcus. "Maybe it won't be so bad?" but she regretted speaking as soon as she said it. Her words were of no comfort. The man had risked everything, and lost. While she was happy to have his menace out of her life, there was nothing to make him feel whole again.

"I considered, while I was in that cave, that maybe I somehow chose wrong. But that wasn't it. You are the red-haired princess…Ariel." He paused after that, looking at her, just once. "I just don't think I'm the Golden Prince."

He stood, and though her heart rate sped up, Ariel did not move to get away from him. She didn't think he would hurt her.

"I don't know what I can do." Marcus said, moving towards the shoreline. "I have no potions, no wits, no sword. I have only myself, but I will not press you any longer. I won't be a hindrance to you." He turned back to Ariel, his feet almost touching water. The sun was nearly set. "I didn't love you properly, but just know that I did." He said to Ariel.

As the sun set, he walked backwards into the ocean. With its last few rays, Ariel and Eric watched as Marcus dissolved, and was sucked down into the realm of the Sea Witch, where he would spent the rest of his immortal days.

Eric wrapped an arm around Ariel's waist and the two stood in silence for a moment. The sun was set, and Ariel's family would be returning soon. Again, the couple would have to pull themselves together quickly. The moment would that of celebration and joy, as Ariel accepted humanity for the rest of her life, surrounded by her loved ones. There were few minutes to mourn, to process, to try and grasp at a sort of understanding that could hopefully be one day articulated.

"I don't like admitting it, but he finally did something noble." Ariel mumbled. "That's all he wanted, I think."

…

 **Review, please! I am planning an epilogue, let me know if there's any specific scenes you'd like to see. And I've got an extra surprise at the end of the next chapter ;)**


	16. Interlude

**If you've read a couple of my fics (and thank u if you have omg) then you might know that I usually write my stories with a moral in mind. Sometimes I like to talk about them, and this is one of those cases. The purpose of this fic (well, half of it, but more on that later) was to show how important it is to have a support system that wants you to be safe. Triton loves Ariel because her safety is his top priority, even though he has some growth in terms of safety vs. limiting her freedom. He gives her the potions rather than risk her making them, he sends the helpful crabs since he can't be there (6 other daughters to keep safe too, ya know – and a whole kingdom to boot), and it's the assurance that's she'll be emotionally and physically safe that lets him feel comfortable with her being human. We know Eric loves her because he works to keep her physically safe, but more importantly is emotionally vulnerable and open/reassuring with her. Eric's growth is less noticeable than Triton's, but it comes in understanding that there's more than one way to protect someone and even if you can't swoop in and pluck the girl out of the water, and even if you aren't able to fight your way through a potion, that doesn't mean you can't protect the person you love. You don't have to be the knight in golden armor to be the prince. We know Marcus doesn't love Ariel because (in addition to being creepy, overbearing, and unable to pick up on disinterest, as well as his other glaring faults) he doesn't care about her safety. He sees her as a character in a story and tries to manifest that dream on her, even though she clearly doesn't want it. He destroys the carriage because "sorcerer" Eric will be on it, and he never thinks about the fact that Ariel will as well. Ariel gets several rude awakenings, from her unsteady first steps to being thrown into a swirling river, that the human world is not always a safe one, and she learns about the importance of having good support systems. I hope that you all find relationships that are healthy, supportive, and make you feel safe (familial, platonic, and romantic), and if you're reading this story for entertainment, escapism, or whyever else, I hope it served its purpose and, as always, I'd love to hear from you, be it via pm or review.**

 **Speaking of which, I'd like to heartily thank TheBritCrit, who has been a faithful reviewer and a person who has challenged to bring my A game to each new chapter - and didn't give up on the story even when I did for a bit. I looked forward to reading each of your reviews, for this story and for each other one you reviewed. Your analysis is always insightful and caused me to change the story as I kept working on it in hopes of making it more engaging. You're a wonderful person for dedicating this much time to review and help me grow as a writer and I really, really appreciate it. I'd like to think I've become a better writer over the course of the 20+ stories I've published, but I know for a fact that any growth came from you and your help. Thank you.**

…

Ariel and Eric were alone on the beach for longer than they had anticipated, but that was perhaps for the best. It gave them the time they needed to heal; enough time to put on a façade and pretend as though all was finally well. They did not speak of Marcus, only of each other.

"I think that potion scared me a lot more than you think." Ariel smiled a little, tracing a design in the sand to avoid Eric's eye.

"What do you mean?"

"We've spent every moment of the past three days together, and you occupied most all of my thoughts since I met you the first time. I think…I think I didn't realize until then that there was a chance you might not love me."

"Ariel don't-"

"Yes, I know, I'm not asking for reassurance. It was just the first time I had to confront a reality where you might love me, or that you might be drawn to someone else. Up until that point, I had constructed in my head this fantasy that you were alone fully with me, that there were no other women and no other desires."

"And I'll always hate myself a bit for drinking that potion." Eric grumbled.

"You didn't know."

"I don't know what I could've done to stop him," Eric sighed. "but it feels like I should've done something."

"What's important now is that I know how much you love me." Ariel said, trying to lighten the dampened mood.

"I promise I love you more than anyone, more than anything." Eric swore. "And that means that we can fix anything that could ever go wrong."

"There could be other problems, you know." Ariel said, now thinking of everything that could go wrong. Disease. Anger. Jealously. Lust. Regret.

"It won't matter." Eric promised. "I know something will go wrong – we have the whole rest of our lives for things to go wrong. But I love you, and as long as you still love me, we will fix everything, I promise you."

…

The sisters rose up from the sea but half an hour later.

"Ariel, come here!" Adella cried out, waving her arms.

Ariel sprinted from the shore into the many arms of her sisters, letting them pull her down into the shallows, soaking her through and hugging her tight.

"We're going to miss you so, so much."

"We can't believe this!"

"When Daddy told us, it almost didn't seem real."

"I know, I know," Ariel said, wiping a few tears.

"We wanted to bring you gifts."

"But we weren't sure what."

"And we only had half an hour! That's no time to put together anything thoughtful!"

"Or even to just run to the store."

"And I had to get dressed!"

Ariel laughed, still tangled up in her sisters. "You didn't have to bring me a thing. I'm just happy to see you all."

"Are we ever going to see you again!"

"Of course!" Ariel gasped. "This is by no means goodbye. This is barely a 'see you later'. We'll still have lots of fun and time together. I'll find a way."

"Oh good!"

"Because we do love you, Ariel. You're weird, but we love you."

"I love you ladies, too." Ariel smiled. "But," she paused, biting her lip.

"What is it?"

Ariel looked at her concerned sisters. "If you wanted to do me a favor, there's a certain book I want destroyed."

…

Left foot, right foot, left, left, right.

Ariel swayed back and forth, practicing the steps of her first dance. She picked them up quickly – she had always been rather graceful – but she wanted this dance to go off without a hitch. Today was her wedding day, and she wanted everything to be flawless.

"Stop fidgeting, dear." Carlotta lightly scolded, finishing up the last few pearl buttons on the back of her dress.

"Oh Lottie," Ariel sighed. "I'm just so excited!"

Carlotta smiled and took Ariel's hands. "I know dear. I shouldn't chide." She sniffled a little. "Today is just going to be so wonderful, and you and Eric have come such a long way…"

She wasn't fully right. Ariel and Eric, with the exception of one potion-induced hiccup, had had pretty smooth sailing. They loved each other, truly and fully, and that allowed for an easy courtship. They explored the kingdom and beyond, and spent plenty of time on the beach. Eric had proposed, simply and sincerely, but a week after their ordeal had wrapped up. It was on their own terms, and born only of their own love.

They were to be married and, soon, they would be king and queen. Ariel knew of happily ever afters, and she knew she had finally found hers.

…

"…as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

That was all Eric heard during the ceremony. The final famous words that cued it was time to swear his love to his bride, her promise to him, and the priest's permission that allowed him to pull her close and kiss her as his wife for the first time.

"I love you." Eric smiled, whispering it so that only she could hear.

"Promise?" Ariel smiled a little.

"I promise."

"I love you too."

The couple kissed again, to the cheers of all those around them, but their second embrace was broken by Max leaping up and licking them both, clearly eager to share some of the love that was so abundant.

The reception area was two quick steps from the altar, for although the boat was the largest non-warship in Eric's available fleet, it was still a boat. Ariel and Eric loved it. Ariel leaned over the side of the boat, waving at her family. The guest were still infatuated with the mysticism of a mermaid princess, and despite the historical and romantic significance of the wedding, many guests could not tear their eyes away from the merpeople long enough to drink in any more of the nuptials than Eric had.

Eric placed a hand on Ariel's lower back and he too waved at Ariel's friends and family, who gathered densely in the seas below. Hundreds of arms waved back at him and Eric smiled.

"We love you!" a merperson shouted.

"I love you all, all of you!" Ariel shouted back.

Most everybody on the boat and turned and crammed themselves to the edge of the boat, making it list, but only a little. Merpeople had never seen this many humans in one place – if they had seen a human at all. Humans reciprocated the same feeling.

"Sire, the goblets are ready."

Eric grabbed Ariel's hand. This was an important tradition – something Eric's great-great-grandparents had started. The husband and wife would wind arms and drink from their goblets, symbolizing how they could quench their own thirst only with the support and presence of the other. Each would wish before for the virtues of marriage and for what they hoped would come of the relationship, and drink.

Eric picked up his goblet, and Ariel hers.

 _Love, passion, children._

 _Happiness, adventure, humor, love._

They had each thought of their own desires, and tipped their goblets to their lips.

"God!" Ariel exclaimed, jerking away from Eric and spitting out the liquid, coughing.

Eric coughed his out as well. It was supposed to be wine! Instead, it felt as though he was drinking liquid salt. He touched his tongue and tried to wipe off any of the remaining offensive liquid.

"I thought it was supposed to be wine!" Ariel laughed.

"It was! I don't know what happened." Eric laughed. It was disgusting and an unnecessary prank – but what could be done but laugh?

Carlotta rushed forward with a bottle of wine that was set aside for dinner, tossing out the rest of the fowl potion and refilling it. "This will be much more proper." She assured the couple.

Ariel and Eric relinked their arms.

"To love." Eric toasted.

"To happiness." Ariel replied.

Both drank deeply.

She pushed the bottle of salt deeper into her pocket. An intrusive thought – _it would've been so easy to just poison them_ – was squashed as soon as it materialized. She didn't want to hurt either of them, not physically, anyway. She redid the pins on her maid's apron, and stood up straight. Poor posture would draw attention – attention she wasn't quite ready to receive.

Bethany didn't know her next steps. To be frank, she was never fully sure she'd get this far. But she knew she was bound to push on, push on through a slightly varied plateau until she could finally feel like she was ascending a hill.

…

 **So, the surprise is that this is a two-part story, and I have changed the chapter titles accordingly. Book Two –** ** _Bound_** **, will focus on Ariel and Eric's married life after the honeymoon, and how Bethany forces herself in. I'll be taking a small break before I start publishing, to work out some more of the plot and write a bit. I'm not sure when I'll start publishing, but reviews always make me write more/faster ;)**


	17. Bound: Honeymoon

**Spell and Bound can be read as two separate stories, but they're intended to be read as the combined Spellbound. There are some darker themes in this book, and less magic, but part of the fun of fanfiction is taking these characters on journeys that they probably wouldn't get otherwise. Plus, my audience (based on who I've interacted with) is mostly young/young-ish girls. (Actually the only person who was a guy (that I knew of) was Axantur but I don't even think he reads my stories anymore? Idk) so I'm especially conscious on trying to write stories that impart what I've learned and am learning, as a girl. I don't always do the best job (I'm trying! Send advice!), and if you want to read the story for escapism, go for it! And anything I'm trying to express is generally applicable to all genders, I'm just writing from a girl-centric perspective.**

 **Ariel and Eric are still the focus of this book, but it starts right after Spell ends, so (just in case anyone didn't read the first half), Ariel is already human, she and Eric are in love, and they're preparing to begin their life together. Earlier in the story, Eric had the misfortune of drinking a love potion that made him say he loved Bethany, a maid in the castle. After the spell was broken, she was unhappy to learn that he, in fact, did not love her.**

 **Also thank you to review fire_wyrm2! You gave very good ideas and changed the structure of the story a bit.**

…

She didn't love him, but that didn't matter.

Bethany stood five-foot-eight on her proudest days, but her frustration and fury coiled around her, cool and scaly, and she could feel it pull her into a hunch. She wrapped her arms around herself and let another sob break, hoping hot tears would follow quickly after. They didn't. The loss wasn't his love, it was _him_.

He wasted her time. She had so little left. Already she pushed twenty two, and with what to show for it?

She was still a maid and a maiden: a disappointment. It had taken every ounce of her persuasion to convince her parents to let her postpone finding a suitor so she could work in the castle. Bethany was fully aware of what marriage meant – it meant being done. If you married a man your social equal, you settled. If you married below your station, you failed. The only way to properly climb was to marry a man above you, and Bethany was fully aware that was more important than locking down the first man who came knocking.

She had learned this far more deeply than she had been taught. She planned far more than her daft sisters had – she did not wait for an option to present himself. She did not spend time fanning herself at dances or eyeing boys during errand runs. There was no boy to come call, there was no man to escort her. She took herself to the palace and got a job as a maid, because she knew that by refusing to settle, she wouldn't.

And she was so close! After six years of work; six years of trying to just place herself in his line of vision. She still had to be a good maid, and was not allowed to barge into a room where Prince Eric was sitting without good cause, but she was always just within view, just a few minutes behind schedule. Never enough to draw suspicion, but always enough to see him several times a month.

She knew they couldn't talk, but her parents had always told her she was beautiful, and that was what mattered. Who needed conversation when you could draw a man in with your pretty face? All he needed was to see her in the right light, while in the right mind, and she knew she'd have him.

And today, oh today, it was supposed to have paid off. He looked her squarely in the eyes and his mouth fell agape, as if he was in awe. She was confused at first, as he also seemed to be in pain, but as soon as those faithful words burst forth, nothing else mattered. Nothing else could. She succeeded – she was finally ready to accept her place amongst the royal family.

Rubbing her eyes (and still hoping to find tears) she walked back towards the palace and peered in the window. Ariel and Eric were gone – the both of them. Her apron laid on the floor.

She hoped Eric had already forgotten her outburst; Lord knew he couldn't seem to remember her. Six years she'd been here! Six years! How could he possibly not have noticed her? Bethany crept back inside the room and let her resolve grow with each step that tapped on the marble floors. She bent down to pick up her apron and tied it back on. She hadn't formally resigned – and no one from administration had heard. Eric hadn't noticed her in six years; she was sure she could continue on while he stayed under the illusion she had left. And she was sure she could pull this off until it was time to reveal herself.

She resolved to have herself bound completely and in every human way, not to _a_ man, but to _the_ man, who could finally resolve her of her fears and worries that she had overstepped the wheel of progress. She tied on her apron – it was time to begin.

…

There were no amount of dinglehoppers or thingamabobs that could excite Ariel as much as she was excited in this moment. Eric had promised her boatloads of adventure, and it turns out that he meant a literal boatload. Eric had geared up a ship, roughly half the size of their wedding ship, and stocked it with food, supplies, and a cheerful crew. They were to spend the next two months travelling wherever they wanted to in the world, enjoying the experiences and the time with each other.

Their first stop was the fjords of Norway. Their boat was small enough to sail through the mountains and they travelled, slowly, until they would eventually reach a town to dock in.

"Are you happy?" Eric asked, wrapping Ariel up in his arms.

"Unbelievably. I can't believe this is real. I can't believe this is my life." She sighed, looking at the setting sun, no longer an ominous sign. It didn't matter how many times the sun set – she had no time limits. Let it set, let it rise. She was here.

"I figured you've been waiting your whole life to see the world – and I want you to be able to see as much as you can."

Ariel smiled at this. Yes she had Eric, and she loved him deeply and truly. But her heart raced not only for him, but for all the new possibilities she had now. She was human, and she could explore her humanity in every way. This honeymoon was only the beginning.

"Here," Eric stepped away and took her hand. "I have a gift for you."

"Another gift? Eric you already coordinated all this, anything else any you'll spoil me." She laughed.

Eric smiled. "This is really more part two of this gift. And it's very small, don't worry."

Wrapped up and resting on a table was a gift maybe three feet long and one foot wide.

"I thought you said small!" Ariel laughed, still approaching it eagerly.

"You'll see, just open it."

Ariel tore open the gift and revealed 20 books, bound in rich red leather and with gold leaf painted down the sides. Opening the first, she saw maps and sketches of different environments and lands.

"It's supposed to be about every land in the world." Eric said, as Ariel continued to admire the intricate drawings. "I didn't know exactly how much you knew about the human world, but I was hoping it wouldn't be absolutely everything, so these would help. You can thumb through them, and whenever you find a place you want to go to, let me know. The crew will take us there."

"Really?" Ariel said, barely gasping out the word. Tears brimmed up in her eyes. "Eric, you don't know how much this means." She placed the book down gingerly and ran over to him.

"You're right, I don't. But I think I have a good guess." Eric smiled. "Now, come on. Grab a volume and let's go watch the mountains, and see what we can find."

…

After two weeks of work resumed without a hitch, Bethany assumed it was safe to assume that Eric had mentioned nothing of her loud resignation. She figured she could consider it safely taken back. She was once more a maid, in the social status her parents detested most. Each night she returned to them, tired but knowing that her day was not over yet.

As she had begun her work in the palace at a young age, she had to forego the rest of her finishing school. She had gone to the more academic branch with her sisters through age twelve, learning how to read and write, as well as some simple math. She started finishing schools – learning the waltz, how to curtsey, how to hold a fork, and the like. But when she turned sixteen, she decided that her life was her own, and that making a change was more important than maintaining a status quo, or fulfilling her parents' wishes. So, she got herself the job at the palace.

Her parents were disappointed, and very vocally so. Upwardly mobile and upper middling class, they felt that a service position was beneath all three of their daughters, and would've preferred to marry them properly and let them see to running a household and pushing their own children into higher positions. Bethany saw sense in that for her sisters – they were simpler, with simpler dreams. But Bethany wasn't willing to doubt her own cleverness, and knew that there was no logic in hoping to achieve upper class status in several generations, when she herself could marry the prince and secure herself. She didn't expect her parents to understand, and she didn't fully explain. They fought for weeks over the prospect of her working, but when she threatened to cut off all her hair and join a nunnery if they didn't let her have her way, they made some compromises.

For one, she had to continue finishing lessons, though they would be done after work and with the help of her mother rather than a proper teacher – gentlewomen wouldn't hold lessons in the evening.

So, three times a week, she would return home from a shift, tired and ready to rest, and run through the steps of womanhood.

…

The elephant roared, a creature far larger than Ariel could've ever guessed – even with the picture.

"Stay back…" their guide warned, tossing out her arm. "We approached a bit too quickly – we don't want to frighten her, or make her think we're going to hurt her or her babies."

"But we aren't going to!" Ariel said. "We don't even have weapons."

"I know that!" the guide said, gently leading the royal couple back another ten feet. "But she doesn't! Just because something is clear to you, doesn't mean everyone around you understands it – particularly if that other group happens to be comprised of elephants."

"That's fair." Ariel conceded. Ariel stepped beneath the tree their guide, Adhama, had paused at, looking up at the lush vegetation and the orange-tinged sky. Another sun was setting, another world had been opened to her.

There were creatures as big an elephants beneath the sea, but none that stomped so loudly (or at all), or ripped the leaves from trees. Ariel had always kept a good distance from whales and sharks, as they too were creatures that were kind, but powerful. She figured that doing the same on land was only similar etiquette.

The elephant and her young began to settle down, still looking very intently at the small group huddled beneath the tree.

"Look at her." Adhama said warmly, her love for these creatures shining through. "Not everybody gets to see a creature like this."

Ariel wrapped her hands around Eric's left arm and squeezed. _But we do._

…

With the prick of the pin, Bethany yelled – a bit louder than she intended to. " _Careful_ , mother!" she scolded, rubbing her already perpetually sore arm.

"Oh, don't be such a child." Her mother scolded. "You always wear your clothes into oblivion, it's not cruel of me to want you to look presentable."

Bethany sighed. She was right. If she didn't look good, then why would Eric even take a second glance? "Continue, please." She said, extending her arm again.

Her mother smiled and continued stitching up the small tear in the hem. "Now, when am I going to be able to make you a _wedding_ dress?"

Bethany groaned, "We've been over this, _please_!"

"You're 22, Bethany. You can't blame a mother for starting to worry. Why, when I was your age, I had two daughters!"

"Well, you found love when you were younger." Bethany dismissed. "And had twins."

"I just don't want you to miss out on the whole experience of marriage because you were too stubborn to settle down. You're not even making that much money."

"It's not about that, mother!"

"Then what is it about?"

Bethany had never told her mother her real plan, as she knew her mother would laugh, dismiss the notion as preposterous, and order her to stop working if that was the only reason why she was staying. "I can't explain." She said, ambiguously but truthfully.

…

"This has got to be the most incredible thing I've ever seen" Ariel said, mouth agape.

" _This_?" Eric laughed. "We've been on safaris, swam in dozens of lakes, seas, and rivers. You've held and seen animals you didn't know existed a month ago, trekked through rainforests, climbed volcanoes, met thousands of people, tried every food imaginable, and what gets you is _snow_?"

"It's water?" Ariel said, again in disbelief.

"Yes!" Eric laughed.

She sat down in the snow and fell back. It was soft, yet hard. When it covered her ears, it made them prickle but insulated out noise. It was astounding, and she had never seen anything like it.

Eric shook his head. "You'll see it later back home, too."

"Really?" Ariel jutted up excitedly.

"Really!" Eric beamed, sitting down next to his wife. "It'll start snowing in about November – maybe December. We have a bit to go."

"Eric, are you starting to miss home at all?"

"I miss parts of it." He admitted. "But I love travelling with you."

Ariel smiled. "This has been the greatest honeymoon anyone has ever been on – I'm sure of it!" she cocked her head. "But maybe our next stop should be home?"

"I think that sounds like a great adventure."

…

Bethany stepped into Eric's master bedroom and sighed. It was already clean – it's not like he was using it – but Carlotta wanted to keep everything as clean and neat as humanely possible, so Bethany was still sent in every week or so to dust and sweep up any possible particles.

In a fit of indulgence, she walked over and lay on his bed, spreading out all her limbs like a starfish. It was so soft and plush that she sank into it and felt the duvet push up around her arms. She sighed and smiled, rolling to her stomach and pushing up. It took ten steps to get to the windows, which she pushed open to accept the last rays of summer. He had a perfect view of the water and the beaches, unobstructed completely. Everything smelled like salt and sun.

The furniture was beautiful – drawers slid open like they were greased and they were filled with fine clothes and jewels. Bethany picked up a simple white shirt and pressed it to her cheek. Perfect. She folded it back perfectly and moved to look at the paintings. Eric's parents – tragically deceased. Eric's father died unnaturally and his mother passed giving birth to a stillborn, rupturing Eric's world and placing the burden of continuing the family line entirely onto him. She sighed, touching the painting so lightly she didn't even leave fingerprints.

She floated over to the second window and wrapped herself in the curtains, leaning against the glass panes. Her back was warmed by the sun, and she could feel the rays shine around the side of her face.

The sound of steps awoke her from her daydream and she scurried to fix her imprint on the bed, and return to the rhythm of her shift.

…

"They're here – they're here!" Carlotta clapped her hands and shooed all the maids who were beginning to gather. "Oh no, girls!" she scolded. "Back to your positions. Check everything!"

After almost two months of travel and exploration, Ariel and Eric had finally returned from their honeymoon, stuffed full of stories and hauling back souvenirs. They were sure to be exhausted, and while Carlotta wanted to ensure their safety and press them for details, she knew to pull back a little, and let them open up on their own time. Or, at least, to give them a day to catch up on sleep.

The couple, who still technically qualified as newlyweds, were ushered inside and embraced by all who were close to them.

"How was it?!" Carlotta burst out, leaning back from the pair. Oops. She had meant to wait.

"It was wonderful!" Ariel said, smiling. "But we're both very tired, and I'll tell you everything tomorrow – promise!"

"Yeah, Lottie." Eric said. "We were hoping to get something quick to eat, relax for a few hours, and go to bed."

"Of course, of course." Carlotta smiled, kissing Eric's cheek and squeezing Ariel's shoulder. "I'll have Louie whip something up quickly."

Within fifteen minutes, the food was whisked out. A nice salad, something simple.

"Oh, this looks good." Eric said.

"I don't…feel good…" Ariel murmured, slumping down from her chair and to the floor.

 **Review, please!**


	18. Bound: Growth and Stagnation

Eric felt worry most of all, but there was a small streak of relief. If she had passed out on the honeymoon, he wouldn't have known what to do. Here, two maids rushed forward and began telling everyone what was proper. Eric was to carry her upstairs to their room, and put her in the bed. He scooped her up, trying to jostle her a little and murmuring to her to wake up. She did not.

"I should've caught her, I-"

"Don't beat yourself up, dear." One maid assured him. "She passed out so suddenly, no one human would have time to react."

"She's done this before!" Eric recalled, cradling her closer to him. "When she was first here – Carlotta said her corset was too tight."

"Yes, yes." Carlotta said, tottering up the stairs behind them, arms full of supplies. "We will get her down to her shift first, and see what's the matter from there."

"It's just that-" Eric grunted slightly as he slid her out of his arms and onto his bed. "She's been exposed to so much, I don't even know what she could've gotten – or where. We went to over 50 countries in the past two months. And she's not even from _land_!"

"Or, because you did all that travelling, she could just be tired!" Carlotta clasped Eric's shoulder. "There's a million reasons for this, Eric, let's not get too caught up in the bad ones."

Eric smiled a little and nodded. Carlotta was right.

"Now leave, we're going to strip her."

"Carlotta, I've already _seen_ -"

"I'll have none of that talk here. Out! Shoo!"

Eric knew this wasn't a battle worth fighting and, rubbing the back of his neck, stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He signed and closed his eyes, leaning against the edge of the door. He tried to slow down his breathing.

"I missed you."

Eric spun sharply to the right, and Bethany was leaning against the wall, smiling. She was in her maid's dress, with a lace shawl gathered around her shoulders. Her work shoes had been changed to heels that tap, tap, tapped against the tile.

"Bethany, I thought you…resigned." Eric said, choosing his words carefully.

She shrugged. She didn't have a good lie. "I thought a lot of stuff that turned out to be wrong that day, too."

Eric got the hint and flushed scarlet.

"I know it wasn't anything you could say." Bethany cooed, taking a tentative step towards him.

"Bethany, please, now is not the time."

"I know." She said, holding up her hands. "I didn't mean to take too much of your time. My shift just got off and I wanted to say hello. Tell your wife I hope she feels better."

"Oh, um. Okay. I will." Eric nodded.

Bethany gave him a coy smile he couldn't quite put meaning behind, and he couldn't stop himself from watching her as she walked away.

…

Bethany wasn't sure how she felt about that interaction. He didn't immediately toss her out of the castle, and didn't seem to imply that she should've left. Maybe he was too nice to do so. Maybe he actually wanted her there. Bethany wasn't sure, but she would take the needed time to figure out, in hopes that it would all finally be worth it.

Every day she had to walk the line of seduction and civility. She couldn't grab him and push him into a broom closet. It wouldn't work, and he'd have quick and justified cause to do away with her. Being a woman, luring a husband, it was all about existing in nuances. Existing in grey areas that shouldn't have to be there in the first place, never claiming if you're standing in black or white. She didn't like it. She didn't know anyone who truthfully did. But that was the way the world was molded and the axis it stuck on tilted in favor of the Man.

For whatever reason, he was bound to Ariel, and she wasn't sure if it was because he had to marry a princess, because he had to marry to officially be king, or because he genuinely loved Ariel. It was likely a combination of at least two of these, and she wasn't sure which. Nothing was simple, nothing was dichotomous enough to be explained with one reason.

And, furthermore, if he had no interest in having Bethany around, then why didn't he send her away? Not only was this his home, it was his country. If he really wanted to, he could have her banished, with little to no consequences (she assumed her family would fight for her to come back). If he fired her, he wouldn't have to give reason. She was a good maid and she did her job, but no one would question his employment decisions. He held all the cards here, and they both knew this. It's why she walked the line – hoping he'd let her continue. And, so far, for whatever reason, he was.

Maybe it was really only kindness. Maybe he thought she really needed this job, maybe he thought her flirtations were just niceties. It didn't matter – not yet anyway. She wasn't so malicious as to need all of him, not now - not ever.

Once they were married, she wouldn't care if he cheated. She wouldn't care if it was a long-term emotional affair, or any woman he desired. She wouldn't care if he was gay. She wasn't so daft as to try and make everything matter, when it didn't.

She pulled her shawl a bit tighter around her shoulders and headed home – she had an early shift, so her mother wanted to work on penmanship.

…

Ariel stirred before her corset had even come off, leading Carlotta to believe that wasn't quite the problem, but she took it off anyway. Ariel moved slowly and tenderly as Carlotta helped her out of her dress and shoes.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Carlotta asked, handing her socks to the nearest maid.

Ariel groaned in response, and rolled to her side.

"Did you feel sick while you and Eric were out travelling?"

"No." Ariel murmured. "Never."

"Hmmm…" Carlotta hummed.

"What's wrong with me?" Ariel flipped to her stomach and groaned into her pillow.

"I don't know dear, but we'll get it figured out." Carlotta said warmly, rubbing Ariel's back.

Ariel sighed as Carlotta pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. "Do I have a fever?"

"Not at all. Cool as a cucumber!" Carlotta smiled. "So, that's a good sign. Maybe you just ate something bad."

"I didn't eat anything other than breakfast – and that was just eggs."

"Maybe you got dehydrated?" One of the maids offered, and the other nodded.

"I've been drinking water all day." Ariel furrowed her brow. "Oh, _god_ -" she said, before leaping up and sprinting to the bathroom.

The three other women heard retching, and Carlotta turned solemnly to the maids. "Go fetch the doctor."

…

"What do you mean you don't know what's wrong?" Eric said, a little angrily. "Carlotta, we've only sent for the doctor three times since I was a child – how can you not know what's wrong? She was fine this morning!"

Carlotta shrugged. "I don't know, Eric! I want to be sure."

"Do you have an idea of what's going on? Is it something bad?" Eric said, panic seeping through his voice.

"Eric, please, don't get yourself in a tizzy-"

"I'm going to see her." Eric said firmly, pushing into the room and barely hearing Carlotta telling him to stop.

"What's wrong?" he half asked, half demanded.

The doctor was looking into Ariel's open mouth, gripping her jaw with meaty fingers. "I'm doing a thorough exam, your highness. It's likely just a bug. Please, do step outside."

"Absolutely not, she is my wife and I will be here-"

"Sir." The doctor released Ariel's jaw and barely twisted to look at him, eyes lolling. " _Please_. I am merely trying to do my job here, and you will be of no help breathing over my shoulder."

"Just let me stay."

"He can stay." Ariel insisted. "It's fine."

"Alright." The doctor sighed, rising up. "But one peep out of you, and it's back to the hallway. You may be the prince, but you are not the doctor here."

Eric held up both his hands and leaded back submissively.

"Alright." The doctor nodded and looked over at Ariel. "Have you gotten these headaches before?"

"No – and I don't even have one anymore."

"Have you fainted before?"

"Only once – and that was months ago."

"Do you ever feel dizzy?"

"No, well, only before I faint. It's not common."

"Do you ever feel nauseous?"

"Not usually unless I'm sick – but I did just half an hour ago."

"Did you throw up?"

"Twice."

"When was your last menstrual cycle?"

"Oh, uh…" Ariel counted back on her fingers. "Eight weeks ago? I think."

"Keep an eye out for that, but I wouldn't expect to see it." The doctor cleared his throat. "I believe that you're pregnant."

"That's wonderful!" Eric exclaimed so loudly and jerked over to embrace Ariel so tightly he buried her face into his chest. "I can't believe this!"

It was a good thing he couldn't see her facial expression.

 **Review, please!**


	19. Bound: Electric

She was freshly human, and now she was two. The doctor had left, the maids had gone to spread the news despite their promises, and Ariel had asked Eric for alone time, which he granted so giddily she knew he hadn't picked up on her mood. Running her hand over her lower stomach, she hunted for the mysterious bump that was supposed to signal that she was indeed pregnant.

She knew vaguely of the topic. Her education had been better under the sea, with six sisters, all of whom were older than her and had learned things from other merpeople as well. Eric had explained some of it to her when children came up one night on their honeymoon, but it was clear he was uncomfortable putting the biology into words, and she did not press him, despite her curiosity.

The doctor had filled her in quickly and scientifically, doing very little for her emotional well-being. He said there was a child in her uterus, and it would grow and grow for roughly forty weeks, but it could be less, and it could be more. As long as it was close, everything would be fine. Then, she would push the baby out, and her body would know what to do.

Ariel had snorted at that. Her body must've known something she didn't, because she was just as confused as before.

She pulled a stool up to the window and looked out at the beach. She didn't know how to be human yet – it was a learning curve, right? She was getting better at being human, she was learning and seeing new things every day, but that didn't mean she was ready to care for another human!

Shifting a little, her thoughts turned to Eric. Maybe she shouldn't worry so much – after all, it's not like she was doing this on her own. She had Eric, and the rest of castle staff. No woman in the kingdom had a better support system. But that still wasn't enough to stop the nerves.

She didn't know her humanity – she barely knew her own body! It had been just over three months since she had first walked on legs, and while she had the hang of those, she had a lot more progress to go. The surface was a whole new world, and not only biologically, but also socially. For two of those months, she had been away with Eric on her honeymoon; she was in no way settled into the role of human princess. There were supposed to be lessons when she got back, and now she was supposed to learn how to rule and care for a baby? It was too much!

Though she was a princess as a mermaid, not once had she been prepared to rule. As the youngest sister, it was virtually impossible that she would ever rule over Atlantica. Her father still had many more years of kingship, and then the crown started at the eldest. Barring any tragic accidents, the ruler generally had power until they felt the position had exhausted them completely – often into their 70s and sometimes later.

Ariel knew how to behave at Atlantica social gatherings, but she hadn't even finished her proper upbringing with those! And now there were new rules, increased responsibilities, and a spotlight shining on her constantly, as the presumed future queen.

What if something happened to the baby? She wasn't even in control of her own life, and she didn't know if this would push her over the edge. But what could be done? The baby was already growing, it was already known. She was sure that it was already being named and fawned over by staff…

…and by Eric.

He had crushed her to him and gushed over how excited he was – this was clearly something he wanted. Who was she to tell him that she wasn't ready? How would that hurt him? How would it hurt their relationship? What could be done?

Ariel ran into the bathroom and threw up again – whether it was from the pregnancy, or from the nerves, she did not know.

…

Eric ran his hands through his hair and laughed, tossing his arms up. He was going to be a father. After all these years…well, that wasn't a correct characterization. He was only 19, and it's not like he and Ariel had been married for years and years. Technically, they weren't even trying for a baby. But he still couldn't be more excited about the fact one was coming.

Eric ran into the sea and dove in, ignoring the fact that he was in clothes, ignoring the fact that Carlotta would undoubtedly scold him. Nothing mattered but this moment. He knew waves were crashing over him, he knew he was wet, he knew the sun was still shining upon him, but his joy was far greater than these sensations and he thusly could not feel them.

However, he once more found that he didn't really know what to do. He barely knew how to be a husband, much less a father. The baby would need to be protected – and he would have to be the one to do so.

Eric dunked his head underwater and then flipped his hair back. What sex would it be? He could see two children, so clearly. A little girl he could take sailing, in a fluffy dress with dark hair like his and eyes like her mother's. Maybe she'd be adventurous, hopefully she'd love the sea. Maybe she'd be good at math and navigation, and take boats out to new distances never before reached.

A little boy, with a round face and messy hair. Maybe he would like swimming, maybe he would be as adept in the water as his mother. Maybe he would grow to be as tall as Eric, maybe event taller. Maybe not.

Infinite combinations of he and Ariel, Ariel and he flashed through his mind's eye and he loved them all.

But it would be months before he saw the result – Ariel could only be barely pregnant if even she did not know until today. He had to go talk to Carlotta, and see what could be done about protecting the baby.

He dredged himself out of the sea and went up to the house, pushing in through a side entrance.

"Oh, Eric!"

Eric looked to the side and saw Bethany. She looked at him and the puddle he was forming with a look of mild amusement.

"Go for a sudden swim?" she asked, resting a hand on her hip.

He looked down at her, unable to shake the fact that she had eyes just like Ariel, somehow. "Uh, I suppose. I just found out my wife is pregnant, and I'm very…excited."

"Apparently." Bethany said, taking his arm. "Come with me, Ms. Carlotta will have my head if I let you go about the castle like this. And trust me, you'd rather deal with me than her. Let's get you dried off."

It would be rude to refuse such a routine request, so Eric did not shake off Bethany and let her lead him to a nearby laundry room.

"Here," she said, handing him a freshly laundered towel. "Have you ever been in the laundry rooms before?"

"Uh, no." Eric said. "I didn't know they were here."

"Did you think fresh clothes just appeared in your closet?" Bethany laughed. "Silly prince."

"I didn't mean it like that." Eric flushed, wiping his face into the towel.

"Come," Bethany said, grabbing the freed hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head.

"Bethany-!" Eric said, leaping back before she could get the shirt fully off him.

"Be still." She rolled her eyes. "Your shirt is soaked and I won't have you throwing it somewhere to get musty. We have a fresh one here for you to wear, and I'll be up to collect the rest of your clothes in fifteen minutes." She took a step closer to him and he allowed her to peel off the shift.

She tossed it into a basket and grabbed a shirt off the line. "Here," she said, letting it hang off her index finger.

Eric took the shirt and slipped it over his head quickly. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Bethany said, putting her hand to his lower back and leading him out of the room. "Leave your wet clothes outside of your bedroom. I'll come grab them in ten minutes."

"Thanks." Eric said again, feeling terribly self-conscious and rushing up to his room. He felt like he caught a chill.

…

"Coy." Bethany's mother said sharply, fanning herself. "That is the key term, that is what you must keep in mind during every social situation. You must not expose yourself; it's indecent. Coy while interacting with men, while gossiping with women."

"Coy." Bethany said flatly.

"That was not coy, that was unenthusiastic. You must act as though you know something others do not – regardless of if it's true. As though you can see through everyone's masks."

Bethany stood up straighter and fanned herself.

"Better. We'll work on it." Her mother sighed. "Now, curtsey."

Bethany curtsied shallowly.

"Deeper. You work for the prince, remember. You may one day bump into him."

"We can only hope." Bethany muttered, but it was not clear that her mother heard.

"You're smart, Bethany. We know your talents are beyond dancing and bowing, and we know you know this as well. But you must take these gifts and channel them towards finding a husband – you man is the most important choice you will make in your life."

"I know." Bethany sighed.

"If you choose a good husband, you will have a good life. You've made it harder on yourself by putting off marriage for so long, but your father and I are still hopeful that what you have to offer to a husband will outweigh your age."

"I know I'm old, mother. I'm waiting for the right man to come around." Bethany folded her arms.

"Don't be cross – it's unattractive." Her mother scolded. "The right man is the man you choose, Bethany, don't forget that. You will live for him, and be what he needs. He, in turn, will provide and care for you. That is how it works. This is how it always works.

Bethany didn't have a response to this – not one her mother would listen to, anyway.

"Now," her mother continued. "Curtsey."

She bent deeply and her mother smiled at this.

"Good, much better. You have grace, Bethany, you really do. I gave that to you."

"And, for that, I am eternally grateful."

"Now, _that_ was coy."

…

Eric hated that he didn't hate when Bethany touched him. He wondered if it was lingering effects of that love potion – he never looked at any of the other maids that way, even though many of them were just as young and just as beautiful. He wasn't sure how to shake it fully, so he just kept ignoring it. It wasn't anything he was going to act on, so did it even matter?

She had this strangely electric way of showing up when she was simultaneously least and most wanted. He hadn't been thinking about her – he didn't want her around. He didn't go in the side entrance to see her. But he wasn't avoiding her either. She did help him, and she was just doing her job.

Maybe he was reading too much into things. She was a maid, was she not? It was her job to manage laundry and, well, look after him. And he did appreciate that she helped him avoid Carlotta. Carlotta worked for Eric, technically, but he knew how the power structure was around here. She had practically raised Eric from toddler-hood, and he always heeded to her, out of habit and gratitude. Not to mention, she could truly chew a person out, especially when they were putting themselves at risk for being sick. Even if it was only just a cold.

And it was just a shirt, too. Her fingers barely brushed against his skin, and it was as innocent as can be. It was a favor. He was the one who was being weird about everything. After ingesting that potion he said a lot of things he didn't mean, and Bethany unfortunately suffered for it. It would be wrong to demote or dismiss her just to save his own pride.

He needed to do better; be better. He couldn't avoid her, because that would be suspicious. That's how someone acted if they were guilty, and people only acted guilty if they did something wrong.

Besides, Eric had bigger priorities now, anyway.

 **Review, please!**


	20. Bound: Give It A Rest

Absolutely everything had changed for the worse. It had only been a week, and Ariel's life had been altered and structured completely around the fetus in her womb. Eric had spoken with Carlotta and any woman in the castle who was a mother. He had met with the doctor, and he had had all of these conversations so quickly she was not aware of them until her life changed due to them.

The best hours for exploring she was now confined to her bed, as the doctor was developing a theory that too much sun on a womb was bad for the baby. So, every day, from ten in the morning to four in the evening, Ariel was to rest, and rest in or bed, or sometimes on a couch, if she needed a change of scenery. Breakfast and lunch were supposed to be served to her where she was resting, but she could venture out for dinner – at least until it was later in the pregnancy. The doctor estimated that her last trimester, at least, should be full bedrest, and many of the older maids agreed.

And, of course, there was no movement allowed. No sports, no swimming, no running, no horseback, no archery, no anything that was above and beyond the average range of motion she needed to simply exist.

"Why don't you just hire someone to feed me, too?" Ariel had snapped when Eric was explaining everything.

"I'm only caring for the fetus-"

"Eric, it'll be fine if I lift a spoon or go for a walk!" Ariel crossed her arms. "You talked to the maids, most of them worked – worked! – up until their babies were near born!"

Eric furrowed his brow. "You're right."

Ariel exhaled a smiled a little.

"I need to give them more time off. It's not fair to expect a person to scrub floors while eight months pregnant, is it?"

"No!" Ariel exclaimed, surprised. "I mean, yes, that's a good idea, they whole giving-them-time-off thing, but that's not what I was getting at."

"Ariel, do you really think it's more important for you to ride horseback than to make sure that the fetus is okay?" Eric asked, in a tone that indicated he already knew what he wanted the answer to be.

"I'm just saying – ugh!" she exclaimed, tossing up her hands and looking away for a minute.

What about her? Why did he only care about the growing fetus in her belly, why did he seem to forego her completely? She didn't stop being a human, she didn't stop being his _wife_ when she got pregnant! The baby hadn't knocked her brain out of her head – she was perfectly capable of thinking for herself and knowing what was right.

But how was she supposed to tell this to him? Eric wanted this baby, more than anything, she could tell. Maybe even more than he wanted her. But she had to try – if they couldn't even communicate, what was the hope for their relationship?

"I just…I'm already stressed about the baby-"

"That's why I'm trying to take care of everything!" Eric insisted. "I even picked out a maid to tend to you specifically, and, when it is born, everything the baby needs."

"Please, don't interrupt me." Ariel said calmly, but annoyed.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm already stressed, because I'm not ready to be a mother Eric, I'm really not. One day – yes! Absolutely! But I'm barely seventeen and I don't know the body I even have right now! I'm not fully sure how it works, what it does, or why it does what it does – how can I be ready to create another one?"

"Oh, angelfish." Eric stepped closer and put his hand on her stomach. "You know what that it?"

"My fat?" Ariel said.

"Beneath that – our child." Eric said. "You're ready to be a mother, because you're set to be one! I promise, everything is going to be fine. I'll make sure of it."

"You can't, Eric. That's what I'm trying to say. Listen to me, please, push aside the fatherly instincts you have for, just, ten minutes. I'm telling you the honest truth – I'm not ready to be a mother, and I'm scared, and I don't like this. I don't want nine months of bedrest!"

"Ariel, please!" Eric huffed. "I'm only doing what the doctor said! You think I'm not scared, too? I've never been a father before, and I'm just as worried as you, I'm sure. Everything is going to be fine, we'll get through this – together."

"Just…just-" Ariel didn't finish her thought – she didn't know how to articulate the frustration she was feeling – so she merely threw her arms and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Eric called after her.

"My room! I'm supposed to be on bedrest anyway!"

…

 _Ariel wished she had learned painting before she and Eric had left before the honeymoon. She was watching a street festival; hundreds of brightly costumed men and women were dancing about, swishing clothes and capes. They laughed and clapped and seemed to produce a glow about them. If she could paint, or sketch, then maybe she could've captured the scene. Instead, she had no option but to stare at it intently, and close her eyes in hopes that it would remain on the back of her eyelids._

 _"How many places have we been Eric?" Ariel asked, laughing. "50?"_

 _"I don't think that's quite possible, love." Eric laughed, looping an arm around her waist. "We always tend to spend a few days in each place, and we're only a month in."_

 _"It feels like 50."_

 _"We'll call it 50, then. I'm keeping a diary for official records, so I don't suppose it matters what we say." Eric smiled down at her._

 _"I love you. I love this." Ariel smiled back at him._

 _"I love you, too." Eric said sincerely._

 _"We can do this again, right?"_

 _"Of course. We don't even have to go home now, if you don't want to."_

 _"I don't. I love everything about this trip. And I love spending time with you. Everything is…perfect."_

 _"When you are ready to go home, let me know." Eric said. "We can go whenever you want. Whenever you're ready to just settle back and spend time with your stupid ol' husband."_

 _Ariel laughed and hugged him. "I always want to spend time with you, Eric. You're my husband, but you're not_ _stupid_ _."_

 _"Well I'm glad you think so."_

 _"I do-look! A bull!" Ariel exclaimed. "I saw one in the books!"_

"I miss our honeymoon." Ariel said quietly.

Eric sat down on the bed next to her and watched her push food around on her tray. "Yeah," he beamed. "that really was a swell time."

"We should've stayed longer. I was too eager to come home. I didn't realize it'd be so different."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Ariel sighed, placing her dinglehopper down. "we spent all day, every day together. And I knew once we got back you'd have princely things to do as well – and that's fine! That's great! I knew that was going to happen. But I thought I'd have princessly things to do as well – I thought I'd have my lessons to keep me occupied. But every day I'm up in this bed, during the best parts of the day, and you're running around to get things ready for the baby…I hardly ever see you." She tapped her hand a few times, considering if she should launch into her frustrating feelings again, but decided to give articulation another try. "And I don't want you to talk to me like you did earlier today. I don't like it, Eric. I know how I feel and while I don't quite yet know my body, I know my mind. You have to trust what I'm saying, and not dismiss it as something stupid or overblown."

"Honey, I'm sorry." Eric sighed. "I didn't take your feelings appropriately into account. I've just…I'm so excited for this baby, and I know that women sometimes lose children, so I want to do everything to ensure that that can't happen."

"I know you mean well." Ariel nodded. "And I'm not mad at you. This whole situation is just so…overwhelming. But we need to compromise, Eric. I can't spend my days lying abed and waiting for you to check in on me. I want to see you. I want to do things with you. Things without mentioning the pregnancy."

"Okay." Eric nodded. "That's fair."

"And I don't want to be on bedrest."

"Will you please do so later in the pregnancy?"

"How much time have you decided to give pregnant maids off in the palace?"

"A month – the legislation is on my desk."

"Then I'll take a month of bedrest." Ariel nodded firmly. "It's only fair, don't you think."

Eric grimaced a bit, but accepted what she was saying. "Yes, that seems fair."

"Good." Ariel smiled. "Then, come here." She said, tugging him closer by his shirt and pulling her husband in for a kiss.

…

"I can't believe you got this position!"

"Me either! I don't know how I was chosen?" Catherine said excitedly, bouncing a little.

Bethany smiled at her friend. "Because you're excellent at your job! What exactly do you do?"

"Well it's my job to attend to Princess Ariel and, when the child is delivered, the baby!" Catherine ticked off jobs on her fingers. "I'll make sure she's up and fed in the morning, watch over her, ensure she gets plenty of rest, fetch her anything she needs, make sure she's warm, those sorts of things."

"You're gonna get to spend soooo much time with her." Bethany said, clasping Catherine's shoulder.

"I'm so excited! I'll be the ear of the princess!"

"And you must promise to tell me everything." Bethany said seriously.

"I will!" Catherine nodded. "After all, you helped me get this job! It's the least I can do."

Bethany smiled and pushed her curly hair back over her shoulder. "You're the best pal a girl could ask for, Catherine. Now, don't you have a princess to attend to?"

 **Review, please!**


	21. Bound: Too Close For Comfort

"Hello, miss." Catherine picked up her skirts and tried to move closer to the princess, but Ariel was advancing down the beach still.

"Oh, hm? Hello." Ariel turned around, shaken from her reverie.

"I'm sorry to make your acquaintance this way," the maid curtseyed deeply. "But Prince Eric said you would be in your room, and I must have missed you there. I thought it was my best if I got on with my duties."

"Your duties?" Ariel furrowed her brow.

"I am to be your maid, and help you care for the baby when he comes."

"Or she."

"Yes, indeed." The maid nodded.

"Oh, well, tell me your name. And a bit about yourself, if you don't mind." Ariel smiled.

"Of course, your highness." Catherine took in stride, walking a step behind her. "I've been a maid here for three years now, but I've normally just been tidying things and the like. My name is Catherine, I'm twenty-one years old, and I live only a quick walk from town with my husband and our babies – which is probably why I was selected."

"Babies!" Ariel exclaimed. "You already have more than one?"

"Why yes, your highness!" Catherine said, a little flustered. "I have three! Once you have your child, I'll likely be pregnant with my fourth." She smiled.

"Oh, my…" Ariel said a little nervously. She couldn't imagine! Was that what her life was going to be? Having child after child after child, and never having her body back to herself?

"Come, Catherine, do you go boating? I want to go row out."

"Your majesty, if I may, I don't believe it's wise for you to do so."

"What, do you want me on bedrest too?" Ariel snapped.

Catherine was quiet for a moment, and then said. "Yes, actually, your majesty. If you would allow me to escort you-"

"I'm so sick of this. Eric promised he'd drop this bedrest nonsense – and as if he can boss me around anyway!"

"Ma'am, we're all only concerned for the baby-"

"I know! That's the issue! That! There!" Ariel snapped, jabbing at empty space. "Everyone is concerned for this baby, but no one cares about me! It's like I'm just some carrier, some eggshell that's ignored because I don't have emotions or concerns, or needs and opinions of my own. I'm not a person, I'm a mother!"

"Your highness-"

Ariel shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was too harsh of me. You didn't deserve that."

"Worry not ma'am, that's what I'm here for." Catherine smiled. "I am to be your maid, and your confidant when you need me."

"I'm not in the mood to discuss much of anything." Ariel said coolly. "I'm sorry for being short, I'm just-I'm just tired.

"Then perhaps it'd be best if you rested."

…

"She was raving, absolutely raving!" Catherine said, stirring her tea.

"Tell me honey, what did she say?" Bethany patted her friend's hand, soothing her.

"Oh, she was going on and on about how no one cares about her – as if she isn't a princess, waited on hand and foot!" Catherine said, annoyed.

"How ungrateful."

"That's what I'm saying! I worked up until the births of all of my children, and she doesn't have to lift a hand if she doesn't want to!"

"Well, Eric just announced that expecting mothers will be given a month off before their births – with pay." Bethany shrugged.

"Oh." Catherine paused for a second. "That's…a huge help, actually." She smiled a little.

"But regardless," Bethany waved her hand. "What else did Ariel say?"

Catherine sighed and continued. "Well, I took her back up to her room and she was clearly upset there too. It's like she didn't want to rest! As if she'd rather be doing anything else! Did I tell you she tried to get me to come boating with her?"

Bethany stifled a laugh. "Did she say anything about Eric?"

"Not too much. She seems frustrated with his majesty – apparently he's the one behind all these new rules. Which would make sense – he's just being a father."

"Has she said anything to him about it?"

"Not that I know of."

"He doesn't deserve this." Bethany sneered, sipping her own tea. "You know, I've read these books of a sea witch, who comes to shore every night from midnight to one am. If you're brave enough to seek her in the shallows, she'll come to you and make a deal. I bet I could see her, and find some sort of way to wretch that little redheaded brat from him; free him at last."

"Bethany, Ariel is still our princess." Catherine blushed. "And why are you reading of such awful things?"

Bethany realized she had said too much, and merely shrugged. "It's just lore, Catherine. Don't be so concerned."

"I know, but still! Even just the thought! That's alone enough to keep me spooked from the sea." Catherine shuttered. "You shouldn't say every thought you have, you know."

"I'm sorry if I spooked you." Bethany said sincerely. "It's nothing for you to worry about, I promise."

"Is it real? Tell me honestly."

"I don't know." Bethany said truthfully. "I've never tried to…summon her or anything."

"What does she look like?"

"Oh-ho! Who's curious now?"

"Just answer me!" Catherine rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. My mother used to tell me stories of the sea witch who would grant wishes to desperate girls, and drag down ones who snuck off to the beach." Bethany leaned in a bit closer. "One of my sisters went down to the beach late at night – she was very young, only thirteen, I think – but she went with a _boy_. My father went out and dragged her home and that's when my mother told her the story."

"Oh, so it's a fable!" Catherine nodded.

Bethany shrugged. "I thought so too – a way for my mother to ensure that none of us would sneak off with boys when we weren't supposed to. But I found a book in the shop in town – it was real old, and covered in so much dust in a corner so unnoticed it was clear that no one had touched it in years and years. When I showed it to the bookseller, she didn't even remember purchasing it in the first place, and let me buy it for a steal!"

"How nice!"

"It was, but that's not the point." Bethany shook her head. "It had the same story in it – almost down to the perfect detail. Lots of stories of the witch. She works with mermaids, with humans, with anyone who needs her help."

"So you think she's real?" Catherine pressed.

Bethany shrugged. "Like I said, I've never seen her."

…

It was only midafternoon – not even four – and Eric was exhausted. He wasn't even fully sure why, but the past few weeks had been very hectic and stressful, and he figured that was finally wearing on him. Ariel was hopefully resting right now, and he figured he would check in on her later. For now, a nap sounded heavenly.

It seemed that no sooner did he lay down to sleep that he was awoken. He groggily opened his eyes with full intent to snap at the intruder, but immediately relaxed and reined himself in when he saw it was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in here." She said, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"No, it's nothing you would've known. I don't usually nap at this time – or at all." Eric chuckled.

She smiled sweetly at him, and took a step forward before pausing. "Would you like me to go? It's fine if you just need to rest-"

"No, no, I should go-"

"No!" she held up both her hands and walked closer. "This is your room, you shouldn't be chased out of it.

"Oh," Eric yawned. "Well, thank you Bethany."

"Of course, Eric." She paused, as if she was testing to see if he'd rebuff or scold her for calling him Eric.

He did not.

"Are you just in here to clean? Do you mind if I stay in bed?"

"Of course not."

"I'll go back to sleep once you leave."

"Yes, of course." Bethany got her dust rag and began going over the furniture. "I just want to say, from myself and the rest of the maids, thank you for that new policy about the month off before our due date." Bethany smiled, leaning up against the left side of his bed.

"Oh, uh, no problem." Eric smiled tensely. "I'm working on spreading the rule across the kingdom, but of course I can implement it immediately in the palace."

"How wise! Now, I'm unmarried, so I'm not a mother myself-" Bethany said, shrugging a bit.. "But I'm sure one day I'll be bearing children – I can't wait to actually – and their safety is my top priority. In fact, I'd say it's more important that my own safety. It's clear you're just trying to help women like me."

"Yes!" Eric exclaimed, sitting up a bit and shifting his weight to his side. "That's it, I just want to help!"

Bethany sat down on the bed, and leaned towards him. "I know, I know." She cooed. "You're doing your best. You're always doing your best."

Eric was taken aback by the fact that she simply…took a seat! On his bed! His and Ariel's bed! Such a thing was improper certainly – but was she even thinking about it that way? Was he just reading into this? Surely she had been on her feet and working all day, so maybe she just needed a second to rest - yes, that was surely it. He shouldn't be rude.

"It must be terrible having to fight Ariel every step of this pregnancy." Bethany said softly, pushing her brows together and pouting a lip. "All she talks about is how she misses doing things, and hates sitting around."

"And I feel bad that she's missing out on these things, I do!" Eric insisted. "But it has to be done!"

"I'm sure if you explained, she'd agree." Bethany said quickly. "But enough about her."

"It's just…I have explained. We have talked about this. It's like she doesn't even _want_ to be pregnant."

"Hey." Bethany said warmly but firmly, leaning over to touch his cheek.

Eric balked at this. "Bethany-"

"Shhh…" she said softly. "You just need to relax. Remember, not all women are that stubborn. I can't speak for everyone, but I know I'd listen to all your counsel, and I'd be thrilled to carry a heir."

"Bethany, you shouldn't say things like that." Eric sat up, pulling himself away.

"Don't take it at face value Eric, I'm just trying to reassure you." _Walk the line, walk the line…mustn't push too far…_ "I'll come clean the rest of your room later. You need to rest."

The door shut behind her, and Eric wanted to yell. What was wrong with him?

 **Review, please!**


	22. Bound: Things Fall Apart

The morning was cloudy, and it gave Ariel an idea. It came quickly, popping into her head like it had been in her subconscious a long time. She rose from her bed – Eric had already left, presumably to work on some correspondence or something – and walked over to the window. Pushing it open, she leaned out the window and looked down at the expanse. No one was out on the beach; no one would be expecting her out of her room. Even if she wasn't pregnant, most people would've expected her to stay inside. And if she wasn't pregnant, she probably would've. Had a cup of tea with Eric, read a book. It could've been a perfectly lovely day.

"Good morning, your highness." Catherine rapped on the doorway, holding a tray with one hand.

"Where's Eric?" Ariel asked.

"He's working on some papers, I believe." Catherine said. "May I bring your breakfast tray in?"

"Of course. You can just put it there. Thank you." Ariel gestured towards Eric's empty spot.

"Yes, ma'am" Catherine put the tray down and smiled. "Anything else I can get you?"

Ariel was about to dismiss the maid when the thought returned to her again. "Actually, could you get me a book? I've been itching to read it."

"Of course ma'am, which book?"

"I don't quite remember the title, see. But it's on the eastern part of the library, in either the third or fourth shelf, and it has a red and gold spine."

"Um, yes ma'am." Catherine nodded, sharply.

Ariel waited for the door to swing shut behind Catherine, and then flew to her wardrobe. She dressed quickly and simply, pulling on her shoes and running out the door as quickly as she could. Even this felt like freedom; she started to smile and felt herself running as quickly as she ever had. She ran down through the gardens and out to the stables. There was luck in this situation too – the stable was empty, the horses were settled, and no one was there to ask her to explain herself or to try to come with her.

Ariel knew in some ways this was selfish – Catherine would worry, and likely come looking for her. She would apologize and make it up to her, but this was one opportunity she needed to taste again. Ariel swore to herself she wouldn't be gone long – with luck, before Catherine found the book she wasn't even sure existed.

Ariel knew the responsibilities of motherhood only in abstract, but she still knew they were demanding. She would never again walk in the same shoes as she had today, and the thought of this seized her with such terror that if she did not flee, she would be bound to it and let it define her.

Mounting a horse, Ariel let it trot down to the beach. She had never ridden this horse before, but his stall said 'Toffee', so she assumed that would the proper title to address him by.

"Easy, Toffee boy." She smiled, leaning forward and rubbing the top of his head.

The wind! The salty air! Ariel leaned back and let the horse go where he pleased. It didn't matter. She refused to think of her frustration with Eric's handling of the pregnancy, she refused to think of her fear. She refused to think of her heart's nagging persistence that she wasn't ready, not now, and of the daunting reality that no amount of structure or freedom could change that. None of those issues mattered. She didn't want this moment tainted with thoughts of others. She only wanted her peace, to be here, alone.

She steered the horse towards the water, despite his hesitation.

"Come on, Toffee." She cooed. "I know the water very well, and I promise it won't hurt you."

Her promise seemed to settle the beast, and he took gentle steps into the water, jumping a bit with each wave.

Ariel took her hands off the reigns and focused on stretching and relaxing each finger, letting the tension flow out of her body. She rolled her neck and released her thigh grip on the horse. She inhaled deeply and looked up at the sky. It was cloudy – it would surely storm later – but it matched her mood. She looked far out to sea, at the chopping waves impeding. But, like so many issues, despite their appearance, few were menacing when they actually came to shore.

She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. She lifted her arms up high above her head and stretched out her legs, holding her balance _just_ so. This was what she needed; this was her moment of freedom.

The horse broke the tranquility and Ariel felt a particularly large wave splash up against her left foot. The horse began to jerk a bit, forcing Ariel to grab back on and try, futilely, to regain balance.

"Steady, steady!" Ariel said, reaching out for the reins.

He bucked up and threw Ariel from his back – she screamed as she was thrown into the shallows, hitting the shoreline particularly hard. She landed hip-first, but the rest of her followed too quickly after. It was a short fall – but a hard one, and she could feel the ripples of pain travel down to her toes.

"Ow-w-w-w-w" she moaned, tears springing up to her eyes.

A wave rushed over her, sending water up her nose and into her open mouth and into her eyes. She shot up and coughed up saltwater, gagging and coughing until she heaved and threw up stomach bile. Ariel gasped and pushed herself back up onto staggering feet, feeling the sudden shock of standing. She was dizzy, and staggered towards the horse.

"Here, here…" she mumbled, faltering and collapsing back onto the ground.

"Your highness!"

Ariel's head lolled over to the side and she saw Catherine running towards her.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I was supposed to be watching-" Catherine sped-talked, picking up Ariel and wrapping an arm around her waist. "I'll get you cleaned up – I saw you get bucked!"

"I'm so sorry…" Ariel mumbled. "I should've been more careful, I should've-"

"Harriet!" Catherine called over to another maid, who was helping Catherine search. "Grab the horse and bring him back."

"Okay!"

"We'll get you inside." Catherine said again to Ariel. "We'll get you clean – I don't see any bleeding – and no one will be the wiser."

…

"I brought you this." Bethany stood in the doorway of Eric's office, holding a cup of tea.

Eric looked up from his work, looked over, and smiled. "Thank you, Bethany."

"I didn't know if Ariel had brought you anything, but I'm glad she didn't, as that means you won't be overwhelmed with teas." Bethany said, placing the mug down next to him.

"No, I think she's resting right now." Eric said.

"She always seems to be resting, doesn't she? Hm." Bethany said, placing a hand on the back of Eric's chair. "What are you working on?"

"I-uh-" Eric looked down at Bethany's hand, and watched as it crept back up the back on his chair and landed on his shoulder. He did not remove it. "I'm catching up on some correspondence."

"How lovely. Lots of important people must write to you." Bethany said.

"Yes, I suppose they do." Eric said, feeling suddenly rather short of breath.

"Hold on," Bethany took a step in front of Eric and rubbed her thumb against his cheek. "You had a speck of something." She lied. Her hand rested for a superfluous few seconds as she looked at him, testing. Always testing.

"Oh, thank you." Eric racked his mind for reasons to put a stop of this – and found just as many to not do so.

He hoped this wasn't enough of a mistake to warrant any consequences.

…

"Here, come on, highness." Catherine seemed on the verge of tears, helping Ariel sit down onto her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Catherine." Ariel said sincerely. "This shouldn't be your issue, really."

"This is my job." She said, almost pleading.

"I know. I promise I won't do something like this to you again. I'm sorry for frightening you." Ariel said, reaching for Catherine's hand. "It wasn't too bad of an injury, just a very hard fall and a very big shock. I'm going to be okay."

"Oh, you're bleeding!" Catherine said, stressed.

"Where?" Ariel asked, jumping to see..

"I'm not sure. I don't see a wound, but there's spots of blood." Catherine pointed to a light trail of spotting. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes." She said hurriedly and helped Ariel undress.

"At least it's not much. I must've scraped myself." Ariel said.

"Do you see where it's coming from?" Catherine helped Ariel out of her dress until she was only down to a thin shift.

"No, but I'm still a bit wet, so I don't think I'd feel any blood." Ariel said, pulling up the hem of her shift.

"It must be small, but it's best if I just bandage it up. Then we can get you washed up and dressed, and all will be well for dinner. How's the rest of you?"

"A bit sore." Ariel admitted.

"Hopefully you won't bruise. Nothing seems to be broken, so that's good."

"Oh," Ariel pointed to a trail of blood running down her leg. "The cut must be there."

"Um," Catherine paused, sinking down to see if she could find a cut. "I don't see a cut, your highness."

"Then what else could it be?" Ariel furrowed her brow. "Am I menstruating again?"

"You're supposed to stop when you're pregnant." Catherine said, very quietly.

"Is bleeding bad?" Ariel asked.

"Check and see if you're bleeding…there, first." Catherine said, standing back up.

Ariel ran to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. What was going on with her body? Why was Catherine so uncomfortable? If something was wrong, why wouldn't she just say so? Ariel grabbed a cloth and tried to wipe up the blood, but it just seemed to keep coming. This was just like menstruating! Why was it bad this time?

"Catherine," Ariel emerged from the bathroom, still in the wet shift. "I'm still bleeding."

Tears sprang to Catherine's eyes. "Stay here, lie down, please!" Catherine picked up the wet clothes and dropped them in the basket. She tossed back the sheets and busied herself about the room, as if she was trying to remove evidence from a crime scene.

She was so distressed that Ariel did immediately what she asked.

"I'll get you some towels to sit on, I , I don't know what to do. But I'm going to get the doctor. He'll know."

"Okay…" Ariel trailed off. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't good. Why did it seem no one wanted her to be connected to her own body? No one ever wanted to explain what was going on.

…

"Bethany." Catherine was running, her face red and twisted. "Bethany, the worst possible thing has happened."

Catherine had run the doctor up to Ariel's room, and he had requested complete privacy. Thankfully, he seemed to understand the sense of urgency that Ariel completely missed. Their examination had been going on for but fifteen minutes now, and Catherine had been running frantically looking for Eric, looking for support, looking for help in any form.

"What do you mean?" Bethany snapped her fingers, bringing Catherine back to the present reality.

"She – and then, oh, and then-! Oh, I'm gonna get fired!"

"Catherine, you haven't said anything! What happened?"

Catherine locked eyes with Bethany breathlessly. "Ariel had a miscarriage."

Bethany felt empathy first, but thought of opportunity next. "That's awful." She shook her head. Regardless of her feelings towards Ariel, she had seen a friend go through a miscarriage and knew how emotionally and mentally traumatic it was. To feel a near-life be drained from you, to see a promise so cruelly taken away. It was no one's fault, but the lack of someone to blame made coping even harder. How do you exact revenge? How do you balance the universe? She had seen what it could do to a person…to a couple.

"Just now?" Bethany asked.

Catherine nodded quickly. "Prince Eric doesn't even know yet. She left when I was going to find her some _stupid_ book, and she rode a horse into the water. He got spooked by the waves and threw her, and that must've- oh, Bethany!" Catherine buried her face into her friend's shoulder. "I don't know what to do!"

"Hey now, hey." Bethany said. "Why don't you go back up to the room and see if you can help. Whatever the doctor says, I can help, too."

…

"Can you please explain?" Ariel lifted her head up from the pillow and tried to look at the doctor between her legs. "I don't know what's going on."

The doctor didn't look her in the eye, but pushed her legs back together and came and sat next to Ariel, pushing her to a sitting position.

"Is something wrong?" Ariel said, nerves growing. "Where's Eric?"

"I'm not sure where he is."

"Can you find him, please? If there's bad news, I want him here. Am I sick?"

"No, _you'll_ be fine." The doctor stressed. "But something is wrong. Let me see if someone can go find the prince."

The doctor rose and stuck his head out the door. Fortunately, Catherine had run back up to the room to see if she could offer any support, and the doctor sent her out to hunt down the prince.

"The first couple of months of pregnancy are difficult. All of pregnancy is difficult in its own way, really, but the first two pose special dangers for the baby."

"Did something happen? Is the baby bleeding?"

"I'm afraid that you have had a miscarriage."

"What does that _mean_?" Ariel said, almost yelling. "Just tell me what's going on!"

"A miscarriage is when the fetus is no longer able to develop in the womb, there are many reasons why that happens, and it…dies."

Ariel placed a hand on her stomach, gently, as if any more harm could have come to the fetus. "It's…dead?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Is there anything you can do? Any last ditch efforts? I don't care if it's dangerous, I don't care if-"

The doctor reached out and took both her hands within his. "I'm so, so sorry. But nothing can be done."

…

"Can you go tell Prince Eric, please?" Catherine said, on the verge of tears. "I'm so afraid of what he might say."

"He's not going to be mad at you, Catherine. You're not the one who lost the baby." Bethany grabbed her friend's shoulders.

"But I just feel so terrible-" Catherine sniffled.

"I know, sweetie. I know. You're sweet for your sympathies, but you aren't at fault. I'll still get him, but please don't worry. Miscarriages happen. They're terrible, but no one's fault" Bethany assured her friend. "I'll take care of telling him."

Bethany picked up her skirts and rushed towards the office she had left Eric in. To her luck and assumptions, he was still there. He sat, writing, completely unaware of how his life had already altered. Bethany did not want to be cruel, but she had to be. This wasn't how she wanted her chance to come, but she knew that if she did not speak the words she had already planned in her mind, nothing would work according to plan.

Bethany rap, rap, rapped against the doorframe, each knock curt.

Eric looked up and smiled at her. "Hello, Bethany."

She felt suddenly very nervous. "I'm so sorry about the accident." Bethany said, feigning naiveite.

"What do you mean?"

Bethany gave Eric a quizzical look, as if he should have, could have, known what she was referring to. "Ariel's miscarriage, of course."

Eric's heart dropped through the floor and he felt every word he knew fly out of him. There were no words, he didn't know what to ask, or what to do. He had always prided himself on being the type of man who's good under pressure – it made him a good ruler, a good sailor, and a good husband. But here…here he had no idea what to do.

Bethany took Eric's silence as an invitation to continue. "Please don't blame Catherine – she was attending to Ariel, of course, but she didn't know she had to _babysit_ her. She went to fetch something for Ariel and Ariel slipped out to go ride a horse to the sea. She jumped off or fell off, I don't know, but by the time Catherine found her, the damage had been done."

With ease Eric would've given up any title he currently held in order to keep the title 'father'. "Where is Ariel?" he said, finally finding his words again.

"Just in her room, I'll take you up there." Bethany said to Eric as he walked past her and out of the room.

She meant to lead, but Eric moved so quickly that she had to pick up her skirts and half-skip to simply keep up with him. Eric reached the room and opened the door, revealing Ariel sitting on a pile of towels, her cheek in her left hand. Blood dotted the floor, in a trail from the doorway to the bed, and the bed to the bathroom. He could see the bloodstain beneath her thighs, and saw the bright redness in her face. She had been crying. He shut the door, keeping Bethany out.

Eric felt himself moving numbly; he was barely aware of what he was doing at all. "Is…is it true?" he asked the doctor. He sat down on the bed and scooted towards Ariel. She leaned towards him and he let the whole of her weight be supported by his left side.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." The doctor bowed his head. "There's nothing that can be done, and I'm deeply, deeply sorry to deliver you this news. But, please, understand that miscarriages happen to many people. We don't know all the reasons why they happen, and there's no way to fix it, but this does not mean the end of the bloodline. You can have another child, just not this one."

Eric nodded. "Thank you for your services, doctor. Please, leave us for now."

"I'm sorry…" Ariel sobbed, burying her face into his shirt.

"No, no." Eric said, unsure of what could even be said or done now. He wrapped his arms around his wife and rested his chin on her head.

Ariel cried some more and Eric stared blankly into the distance. Tears would come, he knew they would. But now he was just empty, and he didn't have the energy to feel anything at all. He'd be prodded back into the world of the living, he knew, in time. But, now, his mind searched over and over for an emotion, any emotion to feel, just so he could know he was still capable of doing so; just so he could know he wasn't broken completely.

So far, it wasn't looking promising.

"I wish I had never gone." Ariel moaned.

"It's just…" Eric exhaled sharply. "this is why I wanted you to rest. I didn't want this to happen."

"I didn't know it could!" Ariel said, picking her head up from him.

"I know, I know." Eric said tensely, trying to stay calm. He actually didn't know – was she really so unaware of how pregnancy worked? He was about to ask, when she continued speaking.

"I've…I've been thinking though." Ariel sniffled.

"What?"

"Maybe it was a sign."

Eric furrowed his brow immediately. "A sign of _what_?"

"I knew I wasn't ready to have a baby…maybe this is a sign that that was supposed to happen, that the universe knew it wasn't time. I'm not happy this happened, but I do feel a bit…relieved."

"WHAT?!" Eric bellowed, pushing himself away from his wife. " _Relieved_?"

"I just mean that I wasn't ready! Not that I never want to have kids but – I told you this before! – I don't even know or understand my own body, and we just got married, and-"

"So you wanted this?" Eric accused, standing up. He knew that was harsh. He didn't care. "You killed…our baby…and you're just fine?"

"I didn't kill it, Eric, it just died!" Ariel insisted. "I don't know what I could've done, I would've saved it if I could've!"

"You could've stayed inside! Rested, taken care of yourself!"

"I'm not ready for that, Eric!" Ariel yelled back, willing her tears to go back. She couldn't cry, not yet!

"It doesn't matter!" Eric spread his arms out. "You were selfish, and you just had to take that horse out, and you couldn't even do so carefully! And now we're never going to meet our child, and it will never even get the chance to be a person, because you couldn't give up one inch of your freedom!"

"It does matter! I wasn't ready, that doesn't mean I'm some heartless witch who _wanted_ it to die!" Ariel said, a sob finally ripping from her throat. "It's more complicated than that, and you _know_ it! I didn't get any input onto whether or not this baby was coming, and you already know so much more about pregnancy than anyone seems willing to tell me! It's my body Eric, it's me! It's not just my job to carry kids regardless of if I want to!"

"It was early, I know that! But that happens sometimes, it just does! That doesn't mean you don't have to take responsibility for your actions-"

" _My_ actions? _Our_ actions Eric – I know that much!" Ariel interrupted. "I didn't want this to happen – none of it! Not the pregnancy, not the miscarriage, but they both did! Don't try to make this my fault, because it isn't!"

"I can't speak to you right now." Eric said, shaking with anger. He took a step back. "I don't know when I can."

"I didn't do this on purpose, Eric." Ariel said, trying to reel herself in. "But I didn't want this baby in the first place."

"Don't follow me." Eric stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. His mind had disconnected from his body, and he felt as though he was watching himself do things. He heard the echoes of the fight, but couldn't recall forming the words or actually saying them. He only knew they had been said. He didn't know what he actually wanted – was she supposed to follow him, or would that only make things worse? He stood in the hall, world spinning; world crashing.

Bethany marched up to him quickly. "Are you okay? I heard yelling, and while I of course wasn't eavesdropping-"

Eric grabbed Bethany's face and pulled it up towards his, kissing her roughly.

…

 **Review, please!**


	23. Bound: Eye of the Storm

Eric grabbed Bethany's face and pulled it up towards his, kissing her roughly. She excitedly wrapped her arms around his neck and stood up on her toes in order to press the length of her body against his. The pair staggered backwards and bumped backwards into a nearby linen closet.

Bethany inhaled sharply and grasped for the handle, pushing Eric in. He pressed her up against the wall and she felt breathless, completely so. She felt herself smiling and hoped he would soon as well. But instead, he just gripped her face tighter and didn't seem to slow, or enjoy the moment. He was just on the verge of hurting her.

"No!" Eric said, very suddenly. He dropped his hands from her face and stepped back, stumbling into some brooms.

"It's fine, it's fine." Bethany said, heart racing. "You didn't even hurt me, come here..." she stepped towards him again but he pushed past her, opening the door.

"I'm-I'm sorry." Eric said quickly, and ran off.

"Eric, it's fine! Come back!" Bethany bellowed.

She stood in the hall. He had already left. She didn't see where he made off to. She exhaled shakily, a smile creeping across her face. He had kissed her. _He_ had kissed her. He had kissed _her_. _He_ had kissed _her_. He had _kissed_ her. _He had kissed her._

After her plotting and gentility. After all she had done – the gentle touches, the implications he couldn't damn her on, after she had walked the line so carefully, she finally had he reward. She had heard him fighting with Ariel, of course – it was likely the whole castle had heard. Things were over between them. They had to be. Because he had kissed her.

Bethany knew only great things were coming next – once he had his bearings together, he could figure out how to get a divorce. Maybe he could just declare it – he was king, after all. Then she and he could go somewhere until Ariel finally packed up and went back to the sea or off to some other land. In time, they'd settle back in the castle and the two could be wed – for all of Bethany's family and friends and doubters to see.

A smile bigger than any other split across her face. She hadn't been this giddy since he had told her he loved her. This was somehow even better because there was no potion – he was finally bound to her, and nothing else mattered. It didn't matter that matches were drying up with her youth. It didn't matter that she was the eldest of her sisters and unmarried. All of that would change. Because he had kissed her.

"I can't believe this!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together and running down the stairs, giddy with euphoria. "I can't believe this! He loves me! He does! I knew it!"

She had done it.

…

Eric had never wanted to destroy something so badly.

He marched around the castle and wanted to kick through doors, throw vases, knock down paintings, but he knew he would regret all of that the instant he had done it. None of those things had hurt him. None of those things had put this wedge between he and Ariel. None of those things had flirted with and _kissed_ a maid that was not, _not_ , **_not_** his wife. Eric wanted to destroy himself.

How could all of this had happened? He loved Ariel. That hadn't changed; that was unchangeable. But hearing her say she was relieved…moments after learning their child was no more. That was more than he could handle. He didn't understand how she could think those things, much less say it. He knew she was nervous – but all mothers were! He figured she'd get over it; come around and understand that this child was a blessing. He figured once she had given birth, she'd be fine.

Somehow, that wasn't the case. Someone, she was able to find a silver lining amongst what was the worst storm of his life. He resented that she could do that. He resented that she so casually dismissed what should've been her worst pain. He knew she wanted to be a mother – she had mentioned it before – what did it matter if it was earlier than she expected? It was still their child: his heir! Wasn't that enough?

This was a fight worth having; this was the ultimate test of their marriage. But yet, this did not justify his actions. However mad he was, however hard it would be to work through everything that had transpired today, Eric still should not have kissed Bethany.

Why did it even happen? Everything had started so slow. It was unethical to fire a woman because some love potion had seized him, and each of her actions seemed innocent…and even when they didn't, he didn't want to stop her.

He didn't love her, he could say that with certainty. But she still had an allure about her. She always did everything just up to the point where it would be too much, and every interaction left him on a precipice where he just wanted to push her a bit farther, but he couldn't ask. She was beautiful, it was true. Her skin was dark and her hair was curly, and there was a cranberry blush in her cheeks. He liked when she was nearby, and how it made him the right kind of uncomfortable.

Eric knew that at any moment he could have reassigned her; moved her far away. He could've told her the stop. He was a person, and he was nearly a king. If it was his wish, she would've left him alone.

If.

He wished there was another potion to blame for his actions, but he found even that excuse growing flimsy. He hated himself for allowing her presence and touches and tension, and he hated himself for following through with that kiss. He had thought of the idea, only once, and so briefly that he did not concern himself with it again. But he had thought of kissing Bethany, and he had done it. He had never done something so wrong.

Letting out a shuttering breath, Eric sank down to a set and put his head in his hands. His rage had ebbed – he was so unaccustomed to the emotion that he couldn't have sustained it for long. No matter what happened, Ariel was still his wife. He'd see how she felt about that title once she found out what he and Bethany had done, but at this very moment, she was his wife and she deserved far more than he had been giving her.

He had to tell her what he'd done.

…

Ariel let herself cry; she let everything that had been bottled up come out at last. She cried over the shock of her pregnancy and new body. She cried over the shift in her life that was fundamental and unwanted. She cried over her husband's focus on the fetus and neglect of her. She cried over how she immediately felt unheard and disregarded, like a carrier for a child she didn't even want. And she cried for losing that child, because she learned that was an option in the most painful way possible. She cried for her and Eric's fight. And, mostly, she cried because everything had become so confusing so quickly, and she didn't know what to do.

She didn't know how to be a mother, and she didn't know how to be an almost-mother, and the only person in the world she wanted to talk to had just barked at her to not follow him.

Sitting in their bedroom, surrounded by their things, hanging onto the essence of their marriage, Ariel knew she had to find a way to work this out. There could be no other alternatives. She loved Eric, and that was all the structure she needed in the rest of this tumultuous existence.

He shouldn't have ignored her, he shouldn't have made her feel like she was less important, and he shouldn't have let her be so confused about her own body. But she wasn't innocent. She should've tried harder to explain, she should've sought out the knowledge of her body and the baby, and she shouldn't have ignored him.

She had focused so hard on keeping her ability to do what she liked, that she forgot about the person most important to her. No amount of frustration or fear could keep Ariel from loving Eric, and she would never outlive her distress if this was to be the end of everything.

Marriage was supposed to be hard, but she couldn't know for sure. She had never seen one up close and even if she had it wouldn't have mattered much. Ever marriage is different, and she felt that her love for Eric transcended what would have been ordinary issues.

Of course Eric wasn't acting to be malicious, but that didn't mean his words and actions didn't hurt. She knew that he loved her, but there was the eternal push between her rationale and her emotions, and sometimes the latter had to win. It didn't matter than she knew he loved her – because she also knew that he had prioritized the baby's safety over her own, and that he had ignored her when she had asked for understanding. When she felt fear, she did not receive compassion.

She hadn't quite moved past everything, and she knew that would take time. But she had to forgive, and try to heal. They had each individually ruined everything. There was no one to pay penance anymore, no one to forgive. They had both done wrong under the guise of thinking they had no other choice.

She had to talk to Eric. She had to find him.

…

"Ariel, can we talk?" Eric knocked on the door.

There was no response.

"Ariel, please."

There was no response.

"Ariel, I'd really like to talk to you, please. I'm…I'm going to come in and if you want me to leave you alone, I will. I just…I wanna make sure you're okay."

Eric opened the door, and his wife was nowhere to be seen. "Ariel?" he asked, walking in and looking around. Had she left? Where could she have gone?

"Ariel?" he stepped out and called down the hall.

"Eric!"

He heard a small voice call from far away.

"Ariel, where are you?"

"Down here, looking for you!"

"Here, I'll come down." Eric called, hurrying down the steps.

"Eric," Ariel breathed crushing him in a hug, tears welling up again.

Eric rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. In inhaled her, held her, and hoped to preserve this moment as best as he could, before he had to ruin it.

He broke away from her a bit, looking down into her eyes. "Ariel, I have something to tell you."

Ariel furrowed her brow and nodded slowly. Why did he seem so concerned?

"Let's sit down somewhere, please." Eric said, grabbing his wife's hand.

"Okay. Can we talk about this? About everything?" Ariel asked.

Her bleeding had slowed – stopped, nearly – but the doctor told her that he wasn't sure if it would start up again. He didn't know of any tests he could run to see. He had only dealt with a few miscarriages, and knew roughly as much as Ariel did about the situation. There were still bloodstains on her gown, but she ignored them – and hoped Eric would as well.

"Yes, of course." Eric nodded. "And I want to. But…I have to tell you something first."

"Is it about the…miscarriage?" Ariel asked carefully.

"No. Sort of. Not really." Eric said, looking down.

"You can tell me." Ariel pressed, putting her hand on his leg.

"I did something wrong."

"It's okay – we were both wrong."

"No, after you told me about the miscarriage."

Ariel furrowed her brow. "How? We've only been apart an hour."

"I did it right after. I was mad, and hurt. There aren't excuses, but they're reasons. I know they don't justify what I did."

"Eric…what happened?" Ariel bit her lip.

"Do you remember the woman that got drawn into the love potion with us? With…me?" Eric fidgeted. He couldn't look at her. He didn't deserve to.

"The maid?" Ariel didn't want her mind to wander. She didn't know what had happened, and she didn't want to behave as though she did.

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"I just-I want to make an excuse, Ariel, but I can't. It was wrong, I know it. I know it."

"Eric, tell me!"

"I kissed her!"

Ariel was quiet. She licked her lips and looked away. Eric so desperately wanted to call her attention back – to have her explain exactly how she was feeling, and what he had to do, if, indeed, he could do anything, to fix it. She looked as far away from him as she could, and he prayed she wasn't thinking anything they couldn't fix.

Ariel turned back to look at him. "Did you kiss her like you kiss me?"

"No!" Eric said instantly, truthfully. "I mean, I kissed her on the lips, but I don't know why I did it, and I don't love her – at all. I have no affection towards her whatsoever."

"That's not what you said earlier!" Ariel pointed out.

"It was a love potion! I physically couldn't not say it!" Eric insisted.

"But you let her stay!" Ariel exclaimed. "She stayed around the castle and around you – have you spent time with her before?"

Eric was very quiet. "Yes."

"Time where I wasn't there?"

"Yes."

"And you were alone with her?"

"…yes."

"You didn't have to fire her, Eric. I know the potion wasn't her fault. But you didn't have to do any of that." Ariel sneered, crossing her arms.

The two were quiet. Eric wanted to apologize again, but he didn't want it to seem false.

"Why did you do it?" Ariel finally asked.

"I don't know." Eric dipped his head.

"You and I both know that's not true. Even if I won't like the answer – just tell me. You owe me that much." Ariel said firmly.

Eric sighed, and tried to choose his words carefully. "I was mad. At the situation – and at you. I resented that you could just 'get over' losing the baby so easily. I was so excited to be a father, and you didn't even seem to want to be a mother. I know it's not rational, but it seemed to me like you lost the child on purpose. I know that's not true, but it's how I felt. And Bethany…she had been flirting with me and she was always just _there_. I was attracted to her – I didn't love her, and I don't – but she was alluring. And I wanted to...punish you. You had hurt me, and in my anger, I thought this was the solution." He looked back over at Ariel. "I'm so sorry."

"You shouldn't have done it." Ariel said simply, pausing just a little between each word. "And I don't think I can forget this quickly, or even push it to the back of my mind."

"I understand." Eric nodded.

"But I do forgive you."

…

Ariel had asked for a bit of alone time, and Eric was happy to oblige – needing some time to think to himself. She had forgiven him, and he had moved past his rage. With time, effort, and love, the rest would fall into its proper place. Eric stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked down the hall, thinking to himself. They had hurt each other, but it didn't make them even. He would be a fool to ever think it could.

His wife was afraid, and he had somehow ignored it. He expected her to behave how he would, as opposed to as she would. Eric was ready to be a father, but he had been ready for years. He had always wanted children, but he had wanted to be sure it was with the right woman. He still knew Ariel was the right girl…it just wasn't the right time.

That didn't mean it didn't still hurt. Eric had wanted this child.

He tried to find peace and absolution in knowing that this didn't mean he would never have a child. He hoped there would be many children – just in time. He took a deep breath. In time. For now, he had his wife, and she was enough; she was everything. A child would come, but only once they healed.

"I'm packed. I went home a bit ago – you can dock my pay if you want."

That sentence was punctured with a giggle, and Eric turned to see Bethany, holding a wicker suitcase.

"Oh, don't worry – we aren't running away! This is your kingdom, after all." Bethany waved a hand and stepped forward.

"Bethany-"

"I've just got my best dress in here, a bit of makeup, nicer shoes – there's this lovely little field I've always dreamed of getting proposed to in. We can wait for your divorce to be finalized before we announce anything, but-"

"Bethany, no!" Eric said those words he should've said so long ago. "I don't know why you're talking this way. I have no feelings for you, and while my behavior has been completely out of line there has been nothing to lead you to believe that I would want to divorce my wife and marry you!"

"You told me you loved me." Bethany said firmly. "Many times."

"I was under the influence of a potion." Eric said. "It made me say that – I did not choose. Had Grimsby walked in a minute before you, I would've been professing my love to him."

"Don't make jokes, Eric." Bethany said crossly. "I know that you love me. Even if the spell was making you, you could've shook your head no, or said nothing. You didn't. You kept saying you loved me."

"I had no idea what was going on! I didn't even know I had ingested the potion. I kept hoping to get control of my words back, and sadly that meant you had to hear some things that just aren't true." Eric furrowed his brow, and took a step back. "If you need to hear it again, I'll say it – I don't love you. I don't love you, Bethany, and I have no affection or draw towards you."

Then why did you kiss me? You did – I did not kiss you until you had grabbed me." Bethany said defiantly."

"I wish with my whole soul that I hadn't." Eric said. "I regretted it as soon as I realized what was happening. It'll never happen again – not with you, not with anyone else."

"You did it because you love me." Bethany said, her breathing speeding up.

"I don't, Bethany. I'm sorry for everything I've done that's made you think that. I'm sorry to Ariel, and I'm sorry to you." Eric said sincerely. "I've been my worst with you. I won't deny that. I can't. It was the spell and then it was the anger and stress, but overall it's been me."

"It hasn't-"

"It has. And it's easy to blame the potion and my frustration and confusion. And yes, those have all been elements that made me do what I did. But I'll take responsibility for it. I shouldn't have kissed you. I should've kept my mouth shut when I ingested that potion. I didn't. I'm sorry, but I can't change how I really feel, and I don't feel for you."

Bethany blinked back tears and looked away, knowing that her face was turning ruddy. She had been so close, somehow closer than ever before. "What, am I not beautiful enough? Not fancy enough? You fished _her_ out of water-" Bethany spat, flinging an arm to point to the ocean.

"Hey!" Eric interrupted her sharply. "You do _not_ get to talk about the woman I love that way!"

"How can you still love her?" Bethany said coolly, angrily.

"I don't think anything could make me stop." Eric said, as if there was no other possible answer. "No action, no mistake, no emotion, nothing could make me stop loving Ariel."

Bethany whimpered. She had failed, she had lost Eric – worse, she had never had him. Not even when she had wrapped her arms around him, not when he let his gaze linger on her, not when he kissed her back so hard it hurt. Not once.

"I want _that_!" she said, exasperated, not referring to Eric as a position or person, but as a concept. "I want a husband…like you."

"Bethany, I told you, I've told you-"

"I know!" she threw up her hands. "It's just…I know what I want. I know what you are."

" _Who_." Eric said, quietly. "I'm not a thing, Bethany."

Bethany shook her head, trying to cobble together words in her mind. "It doesn't matter! You don't know what you're saying right now! You've been talking to her, and she's gotten up in your head, and you've forgotten everything!" Bethany grabbed her bag and ran, ran, ran as quickly as she could. Down to the beach, up through the hills, just into town, and up to her room where she flung herself onto her bed and cried.

…

It was impossible to know how much time had passed.

Bethany rolled her face to the side of her pillow and pulled her knees up a bit higher. This couldn't be it. She couldn't be done. No one had heard her come home and she wasn't even fully sure if anyone else was home. It was market day, after all. Good. She needed time alone; to think. Twice he had fooled her, and tried to play it off as a mistake. He had told her he loved her, and blamed some potion. He had kissed her – potion free! – and called it a mistake. How could one man be so unintendedly amorous?

She wanted him to want her – more than anything. Every story she had ever been told featured some brave soul who took a big risk and had it pay off – well, she had taken the biggest risk a woman could. Gambling her entire future and stability on the best match of them all. She knew that nothing mattered more than finding a husband, unless she wanted to literally grow into an old maid who would always rely on the financial support of her family.

Rolling to her back, she pictured her future without Eric, for the first time.

Aging while scrubbing floors and hanging laundry.

Returning home to aged parents and cleaning up after them.

Begging her sisters to bring their children around, so that she could pretend to mother, just for a little bit.

Seeking the charity of her sisters and their matches once her parents passed to please take her in, just for a bit.

Bethany heard the door swing open and that shook her out of her pity, but it did not remove the thoughts from her mind. She knew this would happen if she failed – she just didn't think she would fail. Not ever, until now. But twice he had fooled her. When he said that he loved her, even though clenched teeth, she thought she finally had him. When he had kissed her – of his own free will, of his own free will! – she was sure her anxieties were alleviated. What could a poor girl possibly do?

"Beth?"

Bethany sniffled and sat up. She stood quickly and ran to her mirror, wrapping a few curls around her fingers to fix them. She pinched her cheeks and ran a finger across her lips to bring out the redness and hoped her complexion would be less blotchy by the time her sister figured out she was in her room; she couldn't bear for people to know when she had been crying.

"Be-e-e-th are you in your room?"

"Yes!"

"Are you decent?"

"Yes!"

Bethany's younger sister, Sarah, burst through the door, hands tucked behind her back. "I couldn't wait for you to get home from work!"

"You usually can. What was so special about today?" Bethany asked, more coolly than she needed to.

"Oh Beth, don't be a sourpuss – today of all days!" her sister said, barely holding back a smile.

"What makes today any special?" Bethany grumbled.

"I'm **_engaged_**!" Sarah squealed, holding out her left hand to reveal a ring and running up to her sister. "Look! Look!"

Despite her penchant for pointing out her vapid sisters' faults, Bethany did love her them. She did love Sarah. And she was happy for her – she knew that logically. She just couldn't _feel_ happy.

"That's great, Sarah."

"Oh, come on!" her sister prodded. "I know you don't like Dean too much but he really is a sweet guy. He'll treat me good, and that's the most important thing, isn't it? He loves me an awful lot, Beth."

"I know he does." Bethany smiled, and tried to bring more excitement into her voice. "You two will be very happy together." She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and tried her best to not spoil her sister's moment with her own shame.

"Look at my ring!" Sarah flashed her hand again, twisting the little silver band so a few sunbeams caught it.

"It's lovely!" Bethany said, taking her sister's hand and looking at the ring without _looking_ at it.

"Dean said he got it a month ago, but was too nervous about proposing to actually give it to me. He said his mother would've given him her ring, but he thought we deserved our own ring for our own love story. He's so romantic."

"That's very sweet of him."

"Is something wrong?" her sister tilted her head.

"No, Sarah. How could anything be wrong, when my sister just got engaged?" Bethany smiled and wrapped her sister up in a hug.

…

That night was not the first hurdle since their worlds had fundamentally shifted, but it was a small, significant one nonetheless. Ariel and Eric were winding down from their exhausting day, and though the castle was full of bedrooms and places to sleep, neither Ariel nor Eric knew where they should get their evening's rest.

"You have a busy day tomorrow, and I don't know if I'll go to bed just yet. I can sleep somewhere else if it'd disturb you." Ariel half-lied. She was very tired.

"No, I'll be up all night probably, working on some stuff. Why don't you go to bed, and I'll come up later."

"Are you sure?" Ariel pressed. "I really wouldn't mind."

"Yes, of course, go to sleep." Eric smiled, making eye contact for only a moment.

"Alright, goodnight. I-" Ariel cut off her instincts and smiled at him weakly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course."

Ariel climbed up the stairs and down the hall. In her absence, the room had been cleaned. The sheets were new – an entirely different color. The floor had clearly been scrubbed and polished. Any evidence that the day had happened was gone. The windows were open, and fresh air cycled through.

But Ariel stared at the bed, and she couldn't make herself get in. She knew it would take only a second for it to all flood back vividly. For her to remember the pain in her bones, and the shock of the fall. For her to feel the blood running down the inside of her leg, or the shocking realization that her pregnancy was over and her baby was dead. The conflict she wrestled with in knowing that she didn't want this pregnancy, but she didn't want to lose it like this. She didn't want to hurt Eric – she loved him too much to ever want to do that. This room made her remember that she had.

Ariel shook her head and backed out of the room. It still felt too real; it still was too close. She couldn't sleep her tonight. Not in their room. She picked up her skirts and moved a few rooms down the hall. She would sleep in a guest room tonight.

Eric slept in his office, on a lounge he usually used for superfluous papers. They each went to bed thinking the other had slept in their bedroom room alone.

…

The night was cool and uncomfortably middling; Bethany wished she had a cloak of some sort but she knew that had she worn it, it would have stifled her. Rain was coming, she could feel that, and she feared that any warmth in the air would be sucked out in an instant. She pressed on, down to the beach, and stood in the shores. She didn't even take her shoes off. It didn't matter.

She thought of Sarah, and her new engagement. The whole home would be enveloped in that for months now. She would be praised by the family for landing such a fine match – an average man with an average job who loved Sarah kindly, but not extraordinarily. Whatever diversion from her own failures that Bethany would enjoy would be promptly paid back in the magnification of her own inadequacy as soon as the planning died down. Her personal shame had doubled up and bubbled up, and she was sure it would pale in comparison to what her family would make her feel.

Which meant that the nonoptional was the only option. Bethany had to do what was maybe impossible, and definitely inadvisable. She had to summon the sea witch. She had never gotten rid of the book she had fetched from the bookseller all that time ago. She scanned it through to make sure that she had all of her facts straight – she did – and crept down to the shore as the hand of the clock moved ever closer to midnight.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Bethany kicked off her shoes and wandered into the water until it was at her ankles; incoming flows hitting a few inches above. Her hand twisted around her skirts and drew up her hem in hopes of keeping one thing clean tonight.

"Sea witch! Please!" she called out, unsure of how to summon her. Maybe she would just know and appear. Maybe Bethany was somehow not worthy. Maybe there was a chant, or a spell.

But Bethany was lucky, as the sea before her began to glow lighter and lighter, and a woman emerged. Her slick tentacles spread out and wrapped loosely around Bethany – not touching her, but demonstrating that she could. The woman had purplish skin, like someone had choked the life out of her. She had beady eyes and a hard mouth, and she looked down on Bethany with a sneer that made Bethany almost want to apologize for wasting the witch's time.

"Yes?" the witch asked simply, prodding.

"I've tried everything. Absolutely everything. And I've been so close, each time." Bethany began, letting the words spill out of her. "Prince Eric…he loves me. I need him to. I've heard him say it, but he denied that he meant it. He married another woman anyway. Despite his marriage, he kept me, indulged me. It'd be toying with me, if I didn't know that somewhere, deep, deep down, he did want me. I can't have put in all this effort for him not to want me. He kissed me. No potions, no tricks, he kissed me. It can't have meant nothing."

"And what would you like from me?" the witch asked.

"Absolution." Bethany said quickly, firmly. "I know I'm right, and I know I haven't given up every other option and match for a man who feels nothing for me. I need him. I need everything to be righted."

The sea witch paused and pondered, and smiled. She waved her hands just over the waves and the water formed into a slim, glinting knife right in front of Bethany's own eyes.

"Amazing…" Bethany breathed, as the weapon rose up and landed in the witch's left hand.

"You must prove you want the prince exactly as you say. You must stab his wife and let her blood run onto your skin. He will then love you completely – as her presence is within you."

"Thank you-" Bethany reached out for the knife, but the witch snatched it back.

"You have three days to use it. If you do not kill her by sunset on the third day, then you will dissolve into the ocean and become _mine_."

Bethany bit her lip but ignored the consequences, and once again reached for the knife. This time, the witch let her take it.

 **Review, please!**


	24. Bound: Consequence

Ariel didn't know why she was nervous. This wasn't a strange or extraordinary request. Still, she was afraid he'd deny her, or be annoyed. Or, if he accepted, that the afternoon would take a turn for the worse. There were too many variables at play, and she didn't like that she had to be brave to do this.

Still, she rapped three times on his office door. "Eric?"

"Come in!"

He was hard at work and something – she didn't look too closely to see what – but put down his paper when she walked in.

"Hello." He said simply, a little awkwardly, as if they were strangers and not husband and wife.

Ariel took a deep breath in. "Would you…like to do something today? I don't care much what."

Eric felt a little taken aback by this. She was so anxious. "Yeah, uh, yeah I would." He stood up and tucked his shirt back properly in. "Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere. You pick." Ariel said, shrugging and smiling a bit.

"Maybe into town?" Eric suggested, taking a tepid step closer to her.

"Yeah!" Ariel said excitedly, and cleared her throat. "Yes, that'd be great."

"I'll get the carriage – meet you by the gate in ten, fifteen minutes?" Eric said.

"I'll be there!"

…

Ariel ran by a mirror and stopped, running her fingers through her hair and fluffing up her bangs. Okay. He seemed excited to go, or, at least, excited enough. That was all that really mattered. Even if the afternoon was awkward, or if they ran out of things to say, at least they both were trying. It felt weird to have to do so; every other part of their relationship seemed so easy in retrospect. But it hadn't been, and Ariel needed to keep reminding herself of that. It had never been easy, but it had never been too hard. It had never _not_ been worth it.

She rubbed her finger over her lips to redden them and fixed the ruffles on the front of her dress. There. No…she paused and put a hand on her stomach, biting her lip. She was barely pregnant; a bump had never even developed, but she still felt…off. Of course she was glad she wasn't pregnant anymore - she knew it wasn't the right time or right state for her. But still, she felt sad. And guilty for feeling sad. This was what she wanted, wasn't it?

Ariel shook her head vigorously. She fixed her ruffles again. She adjusted her haircomb. That was not supposed to be the focus of today. Today was about moving forward, and there would be as little of dwelling in the past as possible. She headed down to the gate, and found herself speeding up, hopping, running. The last thing she wanted was to be late. There was the slightly irrational fear that Eric would think she wasn't coming.

He smiled and waved at her as she hopped in, panting.

"Eager to go to town?" Eric laughed, starting the horses.

"With you, yes." Ariel said truthfully, smiling a little.

He smiled a bit at her comment but said nothing in return, only snapping the reins.

And they were off.

It was easy to get to town – the castle wasn't too far removed. The path was very clear-cut and Ariel only got nervous when they were crossing the fateful bridge they had tumbled off not so long ago. But, fortunately, this time they arrived safely and parked the carriage.

"Off to anywhere in particular first?" Eric asked.

"Let's just walk." Ariel extended her hand and Eric took it, and the two began to mill about town, looking in shops that were very familiar to Eric but still not quite known by Ariel. Of course, the premise of 'just walking' was one Ariel had trouble sticking too, and it wasn't fifteen minutes before she jerked Eric over to see a man with cages full of birds, offering the chance to have the birds placed upon you for mere pocket change – but free for the lovely princess, of course, of course.

The birds were heavier than Ariel expected and she had to concentrate to keep her arms out straight as to not disturb them.

"They're so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I've never seen such a beautiful bird!"

Eric laughed to himself. They were pigeons!

"I didn't know there were so many types of birds before I came here." Ariel gushed.

"Really?" Eric furrowed his brow. He figured she would've seen tons, at least in the times that she came to the surface.

"Really!" Ariel nodded vigorously.

"Steady yer head, majesty! There's a bird atop it." The man warned her.

"Oh, oops!" Ariel stood very still again. "I was very good friends with Scuttle – he is a seagull – and I saw a few white birds that looked a bit like him here and there, but never birds this small! They're absolute angels."

"Really? You've never seen a pigeon before?" Eric pressed again, still in a bit of disbelief.

"I've seen several now!" Ariel smiled and moved her pigeon-laden arms just a bit.

"And they are getting a bit…tired, majesty." The man said gently.

"Oh, of course!" Ariel turned to the man and stood impressively still as he removed the birds and put them back.

"What would you like to see next?" Eric asked.

Ariel needed to only scan for a moment before she pointed to a hand-drawn sign and went "Ooh! What are those?"

Eric read the sign aloud. "Fresh baked blueberry tarts." He turned to his wife. "You know what tarts are – Louie baked some to take with us on our honeymoon."

"I know!" Ariel nodded. "But those were strawberry. What's a blueberry?"

"I'm not sure I can explain – I think you'll have to try it." Eric laughed a little. "Have you really never had a blueberry?"

Ariel giggled at his confusion. "They don't grow underwater, remember Eric?"

…

Bethany pulled the knife out from her pocket and held it up to the sun, examining it. Every time she did this, it was always smaller than she remembered it: lighter and thinner. Every time, she was a little afraid that it wouldn't be there. Or that it would. The details of the knife had finally come to light; there were light swirls carved into the handle, and a red jewel at the top.

She lowered it a bit and made a jab-and-twist motion. There was no resistance to it – she only stabbed air. She still didn't want to do it again. It was hard to imagine the resistance that would come with stabbing it through a body; the warmth she would feel when her hand hit Ariel's body. The slick heat of blood running out and over her hands, onto her dress. Could she really do this? Even if it meant achieving the fate she had always wanted, could she actually kill another person?

It was so easy to agree! That night, she was in the proper mindset. If she was smart, she would've killed Ariel straightaway, before she had a chance to really think. When the knife was glinting in front of her, when everything was so close that she need only reach out and grab it…how could anyone have possibly said no? It was a terrifying prospect, of course, even when she agreed, but she hoped that would ebb. It was only one motion…one motion…she reminded herself but still, her heart beat more and more quickly and her hand began to shake. Oh, this wouldn't do! How could she possibly stab someone if she couldn't even keep a steady hand?

And would it all really be so easy? Even if she did manage to succeed, what if the spell was able to be overcome? The love potion was supposed to bind Eric to her, and that didn't work! What if this one failed as well? What if he somehow resisted the love he was supposed to have for her, and sent her to prison? What is she was caught before Ariel's blood could run onto her? What if she was caught running from the castle, blood down her dress, and thrown in prison before Eric could even love her?

There were two quick raps on the door of the room she was cleaning. Bethany spun around and tucked the knife behind her back.

"Yes?" Bethany asked, shakily.

"Have I got gossip for you." Another young maid offered. "Catherine noticed, and she told me accidently, but she said I wasn't supposed to tell so don't pass this around."

"Pass what around?" Bethany pressed.

"Well, last night, Catherine went up to bring some bedtime things to the princess – and she wasn't there!"

"She was here this morning – did something happen to her?"

"No, not like that." The maid rolled her eyes. "She slept in a different room – and the prince slept in his office. Trouble in paradise, as they say."

"Oh," Bethany nodded. "How strange."

"I expected a better reaction from _you_ , at least." The maid huffed.

"Sorry, love. I'm a bit beside myself today." Bethany said truthfully.

"Well, get back inside yourself. You've still got six more rooms to do before dinner, and it's already midafternoon." The maid snipped, walking away.

When the coast was clear, Bethany looked at the knife once more. Separate rooms. He wouldn't be there. He wouldn't see. She dropped the knife anyway. She still couldn't do it. But the picked it up regardless, just in case, maybe, she could.

…

The shops were closing, the sun was set, and despite any other wishes, it was time for Ariel and Eric to leave.

"We don't have to go home, not quite yet, anyway." Eric said, turning to Ariel.

Ariel smiled at this thought. "Where should we go?"

"I have this spot, I've been meaning to show it to you." Eric said excitedly, veering the horses.

Ariel wanted to ask where it was or what it was, but she decided instead to just wait. He clearly knew where he was going and, in time, the path disappeared and turned instead to low grass.

"We're here." Eric said.

"We are?" Ariel looked around. They were in the middle of a clearing, and there was heavy forest to their right.

"Well, there's a bit more of a walk, but almost, yes." Eric look her hand and led her towards the wooded area. He pushed back some of the brush and revealed a pond, so small that Ariel could see clear across it. If she was still a mermaid she could've swam it in minutes. It was adorable.

"There's a boat tied up here, I think." Eric said, carefully trekking down. "A-ha!" he exclaimed, waving Ariel to come join him. "Watch your step, but it's still here."

"Did you put this here?" Ariel asked, stepping into the boat and sitting down.

Eric pushed the boat into deeper water and hopped in, settling himself. "No, it was here when I found it. I came back a couple times and the position never moved, so I figured it was abandoned. As long as I take good care of it, and I do, I don't think it's too much of an issue if I borrow it, right?"

"Seems fair." Ariel nodded. She shifted down to sitting on the bottom of the boat, rather than her seat. She laid her head onto one arm and ran her fingers across the surface of the water as Eric gently rowed them further and further out into the thick of the lake.

Eric was so _good_. Despite any faults or missteps, Ariel knew this, and she felt herself overwhelmed by it. She didn't want their relationship to have any more falters or hang-ups, and she was saddened by the fact that that was nearly unpreventable. She rolled her head to look at him. He was rowing: determined, focused. This was her husband, and she loved him.

"I wish it never happened." Eric broke the silence.

Ariel furrowed her brow a bit, confused.

"Everything with the pregnancy – it happening so soon, the miscarriage, my anger, your fear." Eric shook his head. "All of it."

"It was too much, too quickly." Ariel agreed. "I feel foolish to say this, but I've been feeling sadder and sadder about the miscarriage. And I know it's stupid to feel that way, and I still feel relief for not being pregnant, but I wish there was a way to have paused that baby and kept it – until we were both finally ready to bring it into the world."

"That's a lovely thought." Eric nodded. "It'd be nice if everything worked that way."

"But it doesn't, does it?" Ariel sighed. "I'm sorry for saying I was relieved. I didn't take your feelings into account by saying it so soon. You were hurt. I know you wanted the child."

"And I knew you didn't." Eric said, dipping his head a bit.

The stars were coming out, and Ariel let her head loll back to look at them.

"I know you tried to tell me how you were feeling, but I ignored it. I didn't want it to be true; I didn't think it could be. I was so ready for a child, and we were always so in sync, I figured you would be as well."

"I wish I was ready, honest." Ariel said, rising to join Eric on his seat. He let the oars go, and the boat kept floating on its own. "I know I will be someday." She continued. "Once I'm myself again, and not just a misplaced mermaid."

"I know," Eric nodded. "We have to wait for this world to be your home first."

"I don't know how long that'll take, and I'm sorry." Ariel said sincerely. "If I could make myself speed up the process, I would."

"No!" Eric grabbed Ariel's face; it had been too long since he had held her face and he felt the pressing need to. "I don't want you to rush this; I want us to have children because we're both ready. I didn't marry you just because you could have children; so many people can do that. I married you because I love you, and because I want to be with _you_. We'll get to the next step in time, but it just has to be _us_ getting there."

Ariel smiled; a sincere smile filled with the joy she had almost forgot. The joy of being deeply in love. "We will, I promise." She said, barely moving her lips.

The stars were out, the water was calm, and encouraged by the moment of peace, Eric and Ariel finally kissed.

…

Bethany awoke the next day with a pressing realization of her own mortality. She flipped over quickly and pulled the knife out from her drawer, checking to ensure that it was still there; that she still had a chance to achieve everything. For the first time since she accepted the knife, it fully hit her that, should she fail, she would indeed lose _everything_.

She would be property of someone else entirely. She hadn't asked for clarification as to what that meant – at the time, she didn't think it mattered. Of course clarification wasn't necessary; she was going to carry out the task at hand and all would be well.

Steeling herself, Bethany took the knife and held it out again. It was only one motion – one quick move and everything would be over. Eric would never see it happen; there would be nothing for him to ever expect. She would be merciful to Ariel and kill her quickly and as cleanly as possible. As soon as Ariel's blood touched Bethany she would leave, and rid herself of the girl forever. This was now the only way.

Bethany dressed for work, chuckling at this normal behavior on a most abnormal day. Her heart beat too quickly, her fingers were unable to properly button and fix her outfit. This was worse than any pre-ball jitters or forced date. She knew the only two outcomes; she had to kill someone, or she had to die.

She wasn't quite sure if she would've done any differently, should the sea witch appear before her now, or should she realize that had all been but a dream. It did no good to dwell on that, regardless. She had already made her choice, and now she had to kill Ariel.

…

Breakfast would be served soon – it may already be on the table – but Ariel couldn't quite tear herself away from the mirror. She wouldn't call it vanity; it was appreciation of the body still so new to her. The way the muscles in her legs moved when she stood on tippy-toe. The ripples under her skin when she flexed her fingers. The small roll of fat that pushed out her belly button. How her dry hair curled more than her wet hair ever did. This was her body now.

She had a level of astonishment with her body that everyone else had seemed to outgrow. Carlotta never talked about the ballerina hairs that curled out on her forehead. Eric never commented about how his muscles moved beneath his skin when he lifted something. This was normal to them, it was common.

There was no greater joy than knowing she had this body to be hers forever, and she got to spend the rest of her life learning how it worked and how to love it. This was her home, and this is where she would build her life.

 _Go downstairs._ She had to will herself. There was more to do today; more to see. She wasn't used to her body, but she was especially not used to the world. She pulled a blue dress over her shift and corset and slipped into small shoes. Wrapping her skirts around her hand, she fluttered downstairs.

"Good morning." Eric smiled, standing up when she came in.

It wasn't awkward anymore – Ariel smiled at this. "Good morning." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

They sat down and the meals were brought quickly out.

"Eric," Ariel began with courage. After last night, she felt more secure in the relationship: more confident. "what's going to happen to the girl you…kissed?"

Eric reddened a bit at this memory. "I don't know. What do you want to happen?"

"I…" Ariel blushed and lowered her head. "I don't want her around. I know it might not be right to fire her, but she kissed you too, and she spent time alone with you, and that wasn't right, either."

Eric nodded. "I think the only option is to let her go. I'll give her as much money as she wants, and an excellent reference – I don't want any harm to come to her."

"Me either. I wish there was another way but I genuinely don't think there is." Ariel said.

"She was pursuing me too." Eric mumbled. He looked back up at Ariel. "I'll do it today. After breakfast."

…

Eric stepped once more into the laundry facility. Carlotta had told him where Bethany was, and she was right. There was a curvy form sitting, back to him, scrubbing shirts. There was steam coming up from the bucket, and he worried for a second that she may burn her hands. A fire worked on another pot of hot water, and Eric pulled his shirt out quickly a few times to try and cool himself down. He wasn't sure how she was able to bear sitting in here for so long.

"Bethany-" he said. He didn't know how to begin, so he just did.

Bethany spun around and her mouth dropped, then spread into a smile. "I knew you'd come back." She stood up and pushed back her curls, running up to Eric and grabbing the front of his shirt, balling it up in her fists.

"No!" Eric lightly pushed her off. "Bethany, we've been through this! I'm not coming back for you, I don't love you."

"Oh, don't be stupid!" Bethany grabbed his face and pulled it down to hers, kissing him roughly.

Eric pushed her off. "Bethany, you can't do this!" Eric said aggressively.

"Eric, stop fighting it! Please, everything would be so much easier for all three of us if you just gave in. Just forget about her, send her away."

"Bethany, you're fired!" Eric yelled, stepping back and putting up his hands. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I don't see another option. We can discuss a severance pay, and my refence will be glowing. You can get a job anywhere else in the kingdom, I promise. I'll intervene for you, if needed. I don't want this to be hard. You just have to go."

Bethany stood quietly, mouth slightly open. "You can't." she said softly. "Give me…give me at least one more day in the castle. I -I"

"Bethany, don't fight it." Eric said, watching as steam curled around her and little beads of sweat manifested on her forehead. "There's nothing else to be done."

"One more day." She pled.

Eric shook his head. "I'm sorry, but tonight is your last time in the castle. You can go whenever you're ready."

He left, and Bethany pulled out the knife from her pocket. He had given her no other option.

 **Review, please!**


	25. Bound: The Knife

Bethany wished it was storming, but the weather refused to match her mood. The day, what was left of it, but bright and calm. It offered no warnings. She had said her goodbyes – offering no explanation, despite what she was pressed for – to Carlotta and her fellow maids. She had turned in her apron, taken what few things were hers, and she had hidden herself. After today, seeing her in the castle would be strange, and her odds would increase of being caught or prevented from carrying out her deadly mission. It was almost guaranteed that she would not be allowed in the servants' entrance tomorrow – as she no longer worked there – and she certainly couldn't take the risk that came with having to try and sneak in. Not when there was such a limited time frame.

She wanted the next day, but she also didn't. More time to deliberate could be deadly for her. She was afraid of what would happen if she changed her mind again. Right now she knew her mission; to kill Ariel, the girl who was the last obstacle between her and the life she had worked so hard to have.

All other measures had been exhausted – Eric couldn't seem to tear himself away from the siren – who had likely placed a spell of her own upon him! This thought occurred to her suddenly, and she refused to question or examine it. Truth didn't matter now, she just needed momentum. Ariel was sleeping on the second floor, and Bethany knew vaguely where. Tonight, when it was late enough to assure that she would be sleeping in a guest room and Eric in his office, she would creep soundlessly throughout the floor, peering into rooms until she saw where Ariel was laying.

Bethany found herself shaking again, and unwilling to acknowledge why. Time was a strange entity – encased in a closet, time dragged on, her legs cramped up, the air was stale. But every moment went by too quickly, as she sped towards the most important decision of her life.

She held the knife tightly.

…

The couple had spent the bulk of their day in the library, reading by a dying fire. The two rested on a large, curved couch. Ariel leaned against the side and pushed her feet up against Eric's thigh. They hadn't spoken too much, but it wasn't necessary. Each was engrossed in their respective novels, and the silence would break when one snickered or read aloud a part they thought to be poetic or moving or funny.

"I'm going to bed." Ariel said, sighing and rising up from her seat in the library. The statement had evolved to be more than that in the past few days. It was a caution, a restraint, and now – an invitation.

"Where have you been sleeping?" Eric asked, putting down his book. The night before, he had ventured up from his office to check on her, but found their bed to be empty. Knowing it was quite late, he crept back down to his office and slept there, but his curiosity had not released him.

Ariel flushed a little. "One of the spare rooms – the purple one, maybe five doors down from our bedroom. And you've…"

"I've been sleeping in my office." Eric admitted.

"Would you like to come to bed?" Ariel offered.

Eric smiled. "I would." He closed his book, forgetting to mark the page, and took Ariel's hand as the two headed upstairs.

"Neither of us had been sleeping here?" Ariel asked, looking up.

"So it would seem." Eric said, unsure of what else he could say.

"I was sleeping in a guest room because I thought you wanted to be alone."

"I did the same."

Ariel slipped an arm around his waist and leaned in. Eric sighed and wrapped his other arm around her. The both stood still for a moment.

"I'm so tired."

"Then let's go to bed."

…

Bethany crept down the hall, careful to test each step before she put her full weight upon it. Her heart was hammering, her throat was dry. She was so afraid of someone stumbling across her, demanding to know why she's here. They'd see the knife, and she'd have to kill them too.

She pushed open the first potential bedroom door. Empty.

She tried the next. Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty.

Brow furrowed, Bethany closed the door. These were all of the guest rooms on the second floor. It was past two in the morning – she had to be in bed by now! She hadn't come this far only to be unable to find Ariel. She could not rest until she found her, there was nothing more important and life-threatening than the situation she was in.

Bethany turned the door handle to Ariel and Eric's bedroom, and used the tip of her finger to push it open. There curtains were open, flowing out on the breeze. The moonlight poured in and illuminated most of the floor and some of the bed. In the bed, there was a lump and red hair cascading down the side of the bed.

She looked down at the knife. It glinted in the moonlight. The blade was still cool, but the handle was warm with the after effects of her own heat. Bethany crept over to the edge of the bed and stared at Ariel's sleeping face.

Ariel lay on her back, chest rising and falling. Her eyelashes fluttered a bit and Bethany worried she had been spotted, but that didn't seem to be the case. Ariel was peacefully asleep, in a rest from which she would never awaken. Bethany wondered what is was like – to have death coming so soon, so unexpectedly. Ariel had no way of knowing – there were no goodbyes for her to say, no way to tie up loose ends. Almost no one is afforded that privilege, anyway.

She wondered if Ariel would've lived today differently, if she knew it would be her last. Bethany regretted being unable to warn or advise Ariel in any way – she didn't hate the girl, but she still had to die. She could twist it any way she wanted to but, ultimately, there was no way out. She had agreed to a contract that gave her no wiggle room. Ariel had to die. Regardless, Bethany hoped that today had still been a good day for her – that she had had her favorite foods, and done something fun. It helped Bethany feel better, too.

But now was the time.

…

"Come to bed." Bethany's father said, standing in the doorway.

"Bethany has never been this late." Her mother said worriedly. "Oh, we never should've let her have that job!"

"Sarah?" Bethany's father offered, furrowing his brow.

"I'm waiting up until she comes home." Sarah nodded definitely. She lit a second candle, adding a bit more light to the small room.

"Is it too early to fetch a constable?" Bethany's mother asked. "She's never been this late – ever! Even during Christmas season."

"I'm sure she's fine." Bethany's father said, sitting down. "I'm sure she got herself into something frightfully exciting and lost track of time."

"It's frightful, anyway."

"I always worry about her. She can be so odd sometimes – always talking about greater ambitions and ideas that I fear, sadly, might be too before her time. She'd talk as though she'd want to run the palace! I may have indulged her too much when she was younger, but she's old enough to know better now, anyway." Bethany's mother sighed.

"We've raised her well." Bethany's father insisted. "She knows when to call her luck, and I'm sure she'd never be so ridiculous. She's still young, let her dream a bit more."

"Sarah is already engaged." Bethany's mother pressed. "That's a bit of a social embarrassment, no matter how we present it."

"I didn't do it to embarrass her!" Sarah insisted.

"We know you didn't, dear. It just works out that way sometimes." Bethany's mother patted Sarah's head.

"Bethany will find someone, in her own time. And she's smarter than us all – she doesn't need anyone at all! Especially since she's so happy working in the castle."

"Oh, I don't want that for her." Bethany's mother tsked. "She's far too beautiful to be wasting away in the castle, barren and unmarried."

"But she's happy there!" Sarah sighed. "So, so what? Maybe she will get married, and it'll be lovely if she does, but you must admit she's never put too much of a priority on finding a husband! All she really loves is her work."

"She'll never find a place in society as an unmarried maid – not sustainably, anyway." Bethany's mother reminded them.

"She doesn't have too much of a place now." Bethany's father laughed a little.

"Don't be mean!"

"I didn't mean it in a mean way. It's just...you're right. Bethany have never cared much about going to balls or mingling with the upper crowds. She fought – hard – to get that maid's position and that…that seems to be enough for her." Bethany's father nodded.

"I spent years – years! – training and upkeeping her." Bethany's mother said, growing indignant. "The girl can dance, read, converse on art and politics. She knows how to sew and embroider, speak like a member of high society, walk straightly, and dress well – even on our budget. She's as well-bred as any royal, especially the new princess we have now!"

"So, maybe she does deserve to be in the palace, then."

"I'm not denying that – she just deserves to live there as the princess! Bethany is far too groomed to possibly be a servant her whole life. I've never liked that she has that job. If she wasn't so stubborn, I never would've let her take it." Bethany's mother shook her head and gripped her cup of tea. "The day she put on that apron, everything was ruined."

…

Bethany flexed her hand around the knife and gave a shuttering sigh. This task was so much, but she hoped it wasn't too much. She raised the blade and froze when there was a shuffling. Was she waking up? Bethany wasn't sure she could do this if Ariel was awake. There was a deep groan and Bethany stood, petrified, as Eric rolled to his side and threw his arm over Ariel. Neither had woken.

They slept peacefully, after everything, wrapped around each other. Both comfortable, unshaken, their love still persevering.

Her heart rate increased, and Bethany found herself on the verge of tears. She couldn't do this! They were so peaceful, they had already gone through so much. It wouldn't work. She knew deep in her heart that it wouldn't work; it wasn't supposed to. The knife slipped from her hand and Bethany covered her reddening face. She staggered back and watched them slowly slip away. They were breathing so peacefully, unaware of the fates they were escaping. Fitted into each other, breathing in tandem.

Bethany ran from the castle, out onto the beach. She staggered and fell to her knees, looking up at the sky and the stars. She would never know night like this again – she may never see the moon after tonight. She could've prevented this, but there was nothing she could do now. Everything was over. All her breeding, training, ambition, and planning – on this empty beach, it meant nothing. No one could help her, even if they wanted to. She wanted to cry, but had no tears. She wanted to scream, but had no voice. She stood on the precipice of the shoreline on the eve of her destruction, but she knew she had done the right thing.

Bethany wrapped her arms around herself. Wading knee-deep into the sea, she smiled. She had one final day, and she should go home.

 **Review, please!**


	26. Bound: Absolution

Bethany's last day on this earth, in this form, had already begun. The sun was only just beginning to rise and Bethany walked slowly, trying to memorize it and its colors. Of course it was beautiful, and she had always thought she had appreciated it. Never enough, though, she knew that now. She let her fingers run over the leaves of nearby bushes and she smelled the morning dew. She took in the views of flowers and birds, and let herself take a moment to soak in how her house – her charming, well-kept house – looked when you were just about to enter.

"Bethany!" Sarah leapt up and ran to her sister, wrapping her arms around her.

"You were out all night!" her mother scolded, walking over but softening when she actually saw her daughter. "We were so worried."

"I'm so sorry I'm late – I didn't mean to worry anyone." Bethany said. "I just got caught up."

"What could possibly keep you out all night?" her father asked.

Bethany paused. She couldn't possibly tell them. Despite any odd relationships with her family, she knew she couldn't do that to them. It wouldn't be fair. "You know how I got the job to try and advance myself within the castle?"

"Yes?"

"Well, Prince Eric has increased his trust in me over the time that I've been working for him. We're not quite best friends or anything, but he knows he can depend on me."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart! My daughter, a confident of the prince!"

Bethany smiled. "And it's afforded me…a unique opportunity."

"What is it?" Sarah asked, slipping her arm through her sister's.

"I'm going to go…undercover." Bethany said simply, hoping they would buy at least that much.

It would appear that they did.

"Oh?" her mother asked, very interested.

"I'll be helping to improve relations with a few countries, I can't name them for the sake of confidentiality, you see."

"Glauerhaven?"

"Maybeee." Bethany teased. "But I will have to go away for a while."

"For how long?" her mother asked, suddenly very sad.

"I'm not sure. I'll be gone as long as the Prince needs me to be. This is my duty, and it is a real honor."

"Of course, of course." Her mother came in and hugged Bethany, more nicely than she had in a while. "I'm proud of you, honey."

"Thank you, mom." Bethany smiled. "I'll represent the family well."

"You always have."

Bethany smiled at this, but it didn't go up to her eyes. She always had, and yet…here she was, leaving. Over an unfixable mistake.

"What is it?" her father asked, noticing her stillness.

"I don't have to leave until tonight. We still have today to spend together – to say our goodbyes."

"I think that sounds lovely."

…

Ariel awoke with a start, as if she had been bound by panic and was only now being released.

"Whaisit?" Eric slurred, propping himself up.

Ariel looked around the room hurriedly, but found no offenders and gradually calmed down. "I don't know. I must've had a bad dream."

"Come here." Eric reached out his arms and Ariel settled back. "No one's here but us."

Ariel smiled a bit. "Good."

"Lay with me here, just a bit more."

Ariel hummed her agreement and buried her face into her neck, exhaling.

"You know we don't have to get out of bed at all today."

Ariel laughed a little at this. "You have no princely duties to attend to?"

"Only you." Eric said.

"Well _I'm_ a little hungry." Ariel said, a little teasingly.

Eric rolled over on top of her, smiling as she laugh-cried out.

"Eric, you're crushing me!"

"Well, now you can't go anywhere." He said, very careful to shift most of his weight to his hands and no onto her. He didn't want to _actually_ crush his wife.

Ariel laughed freely, with a lightness and sincerity that neither of them had heard in some time. "You win." She smiled. "I guess I'll stay here a bit."

Eric smiled and dipped his face lower to press his forehead against hers, to touch their noses, to kiss her lips.

…

"I do love you." Eric said, reassuring her although she did not ask.

Ariel pretended she had never doubted. "I know." She tangled her fingers through his and he squeezed her hand.

"I can't promise things will never be rough again."

"I suppose I can't either."

"No matter what, I'll stick it out with you." Eric said, propping himself up on his side to face her.

Ariel tugged the sheets up towards her neck. "I'll stick through anything with you Eric. I think we both always hoped that, but we know it now."

"If one good thing had to come of all that, I suppose I'm glad it's this."

Ariel rolled her head into the space between his neck and shoulder. She liked how perfectly it fit.

"Things are good, but they will get better."

…

The sun was just starting to set, and Carlotta poured herself another glass of tea.

…

"I have to go, really!" Bethany laughed with a lightness that did not become her situation.

She and her family had spent the day in town, poking in and out of shops and treating themselves to anything they wanted – on Bethany's wages. Living at home, she had stashed up quite a bit. Pastries, new ribbons, shiny trinkets, as well as practical things loaded up the arms of her family as they began their walk back home.

"Oh, let us come back with you!" her sister pled, putting down the many boxes and bags she held.

"No, no." Bethany said quickly. "I have to go alone – that's important."

"Then I guess we'll have to say our goodbyes here." Her father said sadly.

"Are you sure you can't write."

"Quite sure, sadly." Bethany said. "I have very few details, so we should take this goodbye seriously."

Bethany's sisters came forth and hugged her collectively.

"We love you so much."

"It's so cool that you get to do this. It seems so exciting, but promise me you'll keep safe."

"I know you're smart and that you'll be fine, but look after yourself, okay? We love you so, so much."

"I love you guys too." She sunk her head down and closed her eyes, savoring the moment and doing everything she could to stay in it.

"I love you too, Bethany. My little honeybee." Bethany's father cupped her face and looked down at her.

"I love you too, dad." Bethany said, sniffling and looking up.

"There, there." He said jovially, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumbs. "It's not goodbye forever."

Of course, she didn't tell him that he was wrong.

She nodded as he stepped aside and her mother came forward.

"Oh Bethany!" her mother crushed her to her. "I do love you, and I hope you know that. You can…defy convention more that I like sometimes, but I hope you know that no matter what I've said, I've said with pride in you and love for you."

Bethany nodded and looked up at her. "Yes mom, I know."

"I love you. I'm proud of you." Her mom repeated, tipping her daughter's chin up to look her in the eyes.

"I love you, too."

…

Most of the day had passed, and Ariel saw that it was high time for her to get out of bed. She wrapped a robe around herself.

"Come back!" Eric moaned, flopping to his back.

Ariel laughed and turned back around. "I'll just get a few things from the kitchen and bring them back, promise.

"UGhhhhh" Eric moaned dramatically.

Ariel wrapped an arm around her waist and laughed – and then noticed a shining object. Years of treasure hunting had made her quite adapt at spotting even the slightest sparkle or shine. She furrowed her brow and approached slowly, as if the object could be dangerous.

"What is it?" Eric asked, leaning over the side of the bed.

Ariel stopped down and picked it up, showing it to Eric.

"Why is there a knife here?" he asked, his voice almost angry. He held out his hand for it and Ariel let it fall into his palm. Eric held it up to the dying light and examined it.

"Does it belong to you?" Ariel asked.

"No…" Eric said, completely confused. "Any chance it's yours?"

"None." Ariel said. "Any knife I've ever had is in a cavern underwater, and I think I'd remember that looked like that, anyway."

Eric nodded. "I figured as much."

"How did it get here?"

"I have no clue. I'm just glad you didn't step on it or anything. I would've hated for you to be cut."

…

Goodbyes said, money spent, fear mounting, Bethany stood at the edge of the water. The sun was just peaking over the edge of the horizon and, against what she would've thought, she was begging for it to go down. She had done all she could, she knew what was coming. Just let it happen.

Each second of sunlight was a year, each minute a lifetime. She closed her eyes and waded in knee-deep, laughing to herself at the idea that a jellyfish or shark could come and kill her right here. Wouldn't that just be hilarious. Dying on her deathbed. Or cursebed. Whatever she may call it, she knew she was either dead or good as.

Bethany let herself peak quickly to see if the sun had sunk any lower. It filled the sky with different oranges and pinks than she had seen this morning and she was grateful for it. Opening her eyes, she memorized this new picture; a final gift.

Like a gasp, she was gone. Dissolved may be the right word for it. Anyone who had not been watching would not have seen it happen. Anyone who was watching wouldn't have believed she was real – no one could disappear so quickly.

She felt herself come to a new life in the sea witch's lair, floating absently.

"Things are not as they used to be." The witch said, cupping Bethany's chin. The witch gestured around her lair. "As you see, I have no one."

Bethany looked around. The lair was indeed empty.

"I am but one being." The witch continued. "And when I die, as we all must, you will continue on after me. Until then, you will belong to me."

Bethany furrowed her brow. She didn't know for sure if she wanted to agree to this arrangement. But she knew she didn't have a choice.

…

Properly dressed and both out of bed, Ariel and Eric walked to the edge of a bluff near the castle, staring at the night anew, as stars began to emerge.

The wind picked up Ariel's hair, and she leaned into Eric's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and they let this moment be. There was no talk of the past, but there was especially no talk of the future. There was here and now, and there was Ariel and Eric.

And they let it be.

 **Review, please! This marks the end of the fanfic that kicked my butt – it was hard to go on sometimes, but I wanted to finish it for all of you, but especially TheBritCrit, who continually reviewed and showed interest in the story. Thank you, all of you!**


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